Dove & An Olive Branch
by NutzForTheBucks
Summary: Looking to start his life after college, Ezra takes on a new job and a new town. When he meets the little boy next door, however, his world is unexpectedly changed... but for the good?
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

_**EZRA**_

"Swing low, sweet charrriiiooottt! Coming for to caarrrryyy mmeeee hhoooommme!" Hardy sang out at the top of his lungs. The silly stupid grin he'd been wearing all afternoon never once left his face as he carried one end of Ezra's worn out leather couch and directed him as he walked backwards toward his new apartment. He continued whistling the annoying Bible hymn as if he was an indentured laborer, forced against his will to help his best friend move into his fresh life.

Agitatedly, Ezra used his shoulder to push backwards into the apartment. The moment his feet hit the wood floor of his living room, he unceremoniously dropped his end of the sofa, watching in satisfaction as Hardy yelped in sudden pain as the couch was ripped from his grasp.

"What the hell, man?" Hardy barked. He lifted his fingers close to his face to check for any permanent damage, though Ezra doubted he caused even a paper cut. "I offer my services, without asking anything in return, and this is the thanks I get?"

Ezra rolled his eyes and kicked a few boxes out of his way as he made his way into the kitchen, aiming to swipe a water bottle from the fridge. Leaning back against the counter, he groaned with relief as he took in over half of the bottle in one gulp.

"Why did I think it'd be a good idea to get wasted the night before moving?" he moaned.

Hardy chuckled in response as he pushed past him to grab himself a water bottle. "I tried to talk you out of it, remember? But once you're there, man, you're there. Nothing stops you."

Ezra rolled his eyes at Hardy's ludicrous comment. "Oh, yeah? Pushing another shot towards me when I told you, multiple times I might add, that it was time to go home was talking me out of it? I'll remember that for next time."

Hardy just smirked in response and shoved his shoulder against Ezra's as they leaned against the counter in the kitchen. "Speaking of next time…"

"Oh, no," Ezra immediately snapped, cutting him off. He shook his head vigorously and pushed off the counter to deposit the now empty bottle in the recycling bin.

"What? I didn't even get to tell you what I was thinking!" Hardy snapped back.

"You don't need to tell me, I know what you're going to say and the answer is no."

Hardy pushed himself off of the counter, tossing his now empty bottle towards the trash with an air-like Jordan swoosh. Ezra intercepted it and glared pointedly at him before tossing it into the recycling after his own bottle.

"Come on, Man. It'll be like the old days. Just one little party is all I'm saying. We gotta break the new place in!"

"As I seem to recall the last time we 'broke a place in' it involved police, a few angry neighbors, and a couple of different fines. No thank you."

Hardy collapsed dejectedly on Ezra's couch, letting out a dramatic huff. "Whatever, turn into one of those old, grumpy guys that everyone loathes. But don't think you're better than us other young adults just because you've found yourself a stable job. Life doesn't stop unless you want it to, Ez."

Ezra didn't respond to Hardy's critical comment, choosing instead to busy himself with unloading the push dolly they'd loaded up with boxes a few trips ago.

This move was the start of a bright future for himself, Ezra could feel that. He'd just recently graduated with his master's degree in education and been offered a job teaching at Rosewood High, a private preparatory school that seemed to cater only to those kids coming from an inheritable wealth. With that type of demographic, there was sure to be an intense level of drama and prestige, especially from those kids whose parents are able to push the biggest checks. Needless to say, Ezra was scared out of his mind for the start of the semester. He was hoping his prejudices would be wrong, none the less.

He reached over and pushed Hardy's legs off the arm of the sofa, effectively forcing him to sit up, albeit with a groan and glare shot his way. "Come on, we still have a few more boxes. I want to be done before sunset."

Ezra led the way out of his spacious, one bedroom flat to where Hardy's truck sat parked just outside at the curb. He'd really gotten lucky with this new place. The apartment was a two story, two bedroom dwelling with direct access to the street from the front door and a small enclosed back yard, shared only by the unit directly next to him. He'd had to pay a pretty penny for the place, but it was a thousand times better than any of the small studios he'd rented in the past. Ezra could see himself actually starting his adult life here.

Jumping into the back bed of the truck, Hardy started handing Ezra boxes, counting out each parcel in a sing-song voice as he did. Ezra rolled his eyes at his friend's antics, the work tunes were starting to get on his nerves.

When the last box had been unloaded, Ezra reached up a hand and helped Hardy down. Turning to make his way back towards the apartment, he almost ran smack dab into an older woman who was power walking with her toy dog down the side walk.

"Excuse me, Dear. I almost didn't see you there," she apologized as Ezra stumbled back a few steps. Hardy's hand stopped him from tumbling back off the curb and into the street. The woman sized up both Hardy and Ezra for a minute or two before turning a seductive face towards them both.

"You must be new to the neighborhood, I'd have remembered seeing such dashing young men before," she said with a wink. Ezra internally cringed, immediately put off by the flirtatious tone she'd addressed them with. The lady then took notice of Hardy's hand, still placed against Ezra's back from when he'd saved him from a tumble. She suddenly adjusted her posture, standing up straighter, and morphed her flirty grin into an understanding smile.

"I'm sure you've both been too busy to really get acquainted with our little town, but I'm sure it will be more than accommodating for two men such as yourselves."

A bright blush filled Ezra's cheeks as he picked up on what she was hinting at. He instantly stepped away from Hardy's grasp. "Oh no, we're not-"

"It's not my place to judge, Dear. But you should know…" she quickly looked around and lowered her voice before taking a step closer so that they could hear her better. "This town is very, _very_ conservative and unfortunately, also judgmental at times. So it's best to be… discreet. If you know what I mean?"

She looked at them like she was doing them both a favor, causing Ezra to want to smack the tiny smile off of her face. Hardy, though, went with it.

"Absolutely, Ma'am," he responded with a giant smirk. He wrapped his right arm around Ezra's shoulders and pulled him tight to his side, though Ezra was sure he could feel the intense level of instant hatred rolling off of him in waves. "Thank you for your kind help. Hopefully we'll run into you again."

The lady tipped the bill of her visor at them and shot another smile their way before continuing her walk down the street. Ezra harshly pushed away from his best friend, sending a glare his way before grabbing the handles of the dolly and pushing it towards the apartment.

"Come on, _Honey_. We still have a few more boxes and then you need to start cooking me dinner."

* * *

"How is it possible that you have this much junk to move?" Hardy whined as they collapsed on Ezra's couch an hour or so later. Nursing the cold beer in his hand, Ezra shrugged in response before leaning his head back tiredly against the plush leather cushions. "I mean, dudes are supposed to have a total of like one suitcase full of clothing, a futon and a flat screen TV. You owe me one for this."

They sat in silence for a moment or two, staring yearningly towards the flat screen television that hung on the opposite wall. The cable wouldn't be hooked up until next week and both men were too exhausted to pop in a movie. Feeling in his pockets for his cell phone, Ezra sat up after a minute, setting his beer down on the coffee table before standing.

"I think I left my phone out in your truck, I'll be back in a minute."

Hardy shot an uncaring wave his way before collapsing further into the sofa cushions. Ezra would bet his first paycheck that his best friend would be passed out by the time he got back.

Shoving his feet into his used pair of sandals, Ezra made his way towards the front door, pausing for a moment to snag the truck keys off the island in the kitchen. The rich coolness of the nighttime air was a welcome reprieve from the hot sweaty mess that had consumed him during the moving process. He'd definitely be hopping in the shower soon.

Ezra had just made his way down his front steps when he caught sight of a tiny figure reaching up on their tiptoes to open his mailbox. He furrowed his brow in confusion as he made his way over.

"Hey there, can I help you?" Ezra asked when he was close enough not to yell. The child instantly fell back onto their feet at the sound of his voice and turned around to address him. Appearing to be no older than five or six years of age, Ezra was met face to face with a tan, brown haired little boy. He sported mismatching socks with no shoes and was missing two of his front teeth.

"I'm sowry, Sir," the little boy responded in a hushed whisper. He shot a quick glance back towards the condo adjacent to Ezra's before continuing. "I'ze was tryin' to mail tis letter."

The boy held up a crumbled piece of paper for Ezra to see. Ignoring the fact that the letter was neither in an envelope or marked with a postage stamp, Ezra kneeled down to properly respond to him.

"Who's your letter for? I can mail it for you if you'd like."

"Iz for my daddy," the little boy answered, vigorously shaking his head. He clutched the letter tightly to his chest. "I'ze been mailing him letters cuz I miss him."

Ezra was silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond. The little boy's answer seemed to come with much more of a backstory than just mailing a letter to his father but he didn't want to pry. Ezra let a soft smile cover his face before extending a hand to the child.

"I don't think I introduced myself. I'm Ezra. What's your name?"

The boy hesitated for a second before reaching out and timidly shaking Ezra's hand. "I'm Noah," he whispered quietly. He pulled the letter away from his chest and looked hesitantly up at Ezra.

"I'll tell you what, Noah," Ezra said, reaching gently for the paper. "If you let me, I'll make sure your letter gets mailed. Whenever you want, ok? Just knock on my door and I'll help you."

A bright smile covered Noah's face and he eagerly shoved the letter towards Ezra whilst nodding his tiny head. "Ok, tank you very much, misser."

With one last glance towards Ezra, Noah took off towards the house next door. Ezra stood after a moment, glancing towards the home to make sure the boy wasn't watching before uncrumpling the paper to see what he'd written. The unintelligible scrawls of a kindergartener caused a bright smile to overcome Ezra's face. He wasn't sure what the child had written but he would make sure that he helped him deliver his message.

**I owe everyone here a huge apology for taking such a long hiatus. Over the last few months I've focused solely on graduating with my Master's degree and that consumed everything I did outside of work. I'm very happy to be back, though, and I hope I haven't lost any followers! This is a new idea that I came up with and wanted to try out. Even though you probably don't know what's going on yet, I'd love to hear your input! Reviews of all kinds are welcome so enjoy reading and please let me know your thoughts!**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

_**EZRA**_

The ringing of the bell signaling the end of the period and the beginning of the lunch hour came as such a relief that Ezra about ran out the doors towards freedom with his departing students. He stopped himself, however, thinking that might be seen as a tad odd. A grown man can't run out of a high school like an escaped prisoner, no matter how badly he wanted to.

His phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket, indicating that he'd received a text message. Pulling the device from his trouser pocket, Ezra quickly opened the new message and immediately rolled his eyes at Hardy's comment.

'_Z- This weekend = P.A.R.T.Y. (at your place o'course) Thought you should know :) Love ya!'_

It looked like there was going to be a house warming shindig whether he wanted one or not. Sighing, Ezra retrieved the packed lunch he'd stored in the bottom drawer of his desk and began to make his way towards the teacher's lounge. Fortunately for him, the principal had taken it easy on all of the new teachers, assigning lunch duty to the veterans.

"I mean, you should see the paper she wrote on the rise and fall of the Roman Empire for my European history class last year," an older man was saying as Ezra entered the staff room.

The young teacher he was addressing rolled her eyes and picked at the apple in front of her before responding. "She probably used Wikipedia as her main source, John, you really need to scrutinize the work of your students. I just had her in class and I'm telling you, I don't think she's going to fare too well."

The woman looked up when Ezra cleared his throat. "Hi, there! Would you like to sit with us? I don't think I know you?"

Ezra shot a thankful smile her way before pulling out seat and extending a hand as he sat down. "I'm Ezra Fitz, the new English Lit teacher."

Giving him an unabashed once over, a sly, and what he assumed to be an attempt at seductive, smile slowly overcame his lunch mate's face. "It's nice to meet you, Ezra. I'm Maggie. Maggie Cutler. I teach 10th grade history. I have to say, it's a relief to finally get some young, fresh faces in this place."

The gentleman sitting to Ezra's left gave an irritated humph before gathering his things and pushing away from the table. Maggie just waved him off with a roll of her eyes.

"That's John Reed. You can ignore him for the most part, ever the optimist when it comes to his students. He's very emotional and takes things _way_ too personally, though."

Ezra gave a short chuckle in reply before biting into his PB&J sandwich. "Thanks for the heads-up."

"So, Ezra," Maggie began, scooting her chair closer to his. "How'd you end up in Rosewood? I don't think I've ever seen you before and, no offense to the other teachers, but most of the faculty got their jobs by using connections or through relatives. It's a much esteemed position."

Ezra shrugged as he contemplated his answer. He'd applied, that was all he'd done as far as he knew. "I graduated from Hollis a few months back and ran into one of the board members at a local pub. She graciously took my application so… here I am, I guess."

Maggie inched her hand closer to where his lay atop the table, gently reaching out to run her pinky finger down his own. "Well I have to say, your physical… um, attributes… probably didn't hurt," she replied with a wink.

Ezra sat, stunned by her forwardness. He'd never been blatantly hit on before, sure he'd gotten a few nudges here and there during college but he'd never ran into a woman who was able to come out and directly show she was interested, at least without a few drinks in her first.

Ezra really looked at Maggie for the first time since sitting down, straining with everything inside of him to not rip his hand away, stand up and leave. He wasn't sure he liked her forwardness. Maggie was actually quite attractive, however, he noticed. From her short cropped blond hair to her athletic frame, she was definitely someone Ezra could see himself going out with. An idea suddenly came to him.

Swallowing the invisible rock that seemed to have suddenly appeared in his throat, Ezra nervously wiped his hands on the legs of his trousers before turning towards Maggie once again.

"So my- uh, my friend is insisting that I throw a party this weekend. I think he wants to celebrate the new move or something, I'm not really sure. Would you, you know, like to come?" Catching himself, Ezra quickly added, "You can bring your boyfriend, husband, whomever."

'_Real sly, Ezra,' _he thought to himself, mentally slapping his forehead.

The butterflies going crazy in Ezra's stomach were put to ease, though, when Maggie flashed him another warm smile in response. "There's no boyfriend or husband, but I'd love to come. Why don't you text me the details later?"

She quickly grabbed a napkin to scribble down her information and slid it across the table to him before standing and gathering the remains of her lunch. Maggie shot him a quick smile and wave as she headed towards the door, leaving Ezra to wonder how that had gone so smoothly.

* * *

Turning the key to let himself into his new home some hours later, Ezra tiredly dropped his bag and slid his feet exhaustedly out of his dress shoes. He headed straight towards the kitchen to grab a beer out of the fridge and just about let it crash to the floor in surprise when Hardy popped his head up from where he was strewn across the couch.

"How was work, _Darling?_" He asked with a smirk, taking a drag of his own beer. Ezra rolled his eyes and pushed Hardy's legs aside so he could sit down before responding.

"It was long, exhausting, but oh so fulfilling, _Sweetheart_. Speaking of which, don't you have a job of your own that you should be at? I'm starting to regret giving you the spare key to this place."

"Don't be so dramatic, Z. We finished up early at the site today so I thought I'd welcome you home from your first day as a teacher," Hardy answered causing Ezra to somewhat envy his friend's job. Hardy worked as a contracted construction worker and often got days, sometimes weeks off. Straightening up in his seat, he reached for a baseball that sat lying on the coffee table. "So don't get upset or anything, but… I may have invited a friend or two to this party you're throwing on Saturday."

"This party _I'm_ throwing?" Ezra let out a bark of laughter, dropping his beer onto a coaster and reaching over to steal the ball from his friend. He tossed it into the air a few times before continuing. "I believe that this party being thrown this weekend is all your doing, Hard. It was kind of you, though, to extend me an invite. How many people are we talking about though?"

Before Hardy could respond, a couple loud scuffles were heard coming from the kitchen. Ezra scrunched his brows in confusion, rising from his seat to find out what was going on. Hardy remained sitting.

"I'd uh, you know, come with ya but I don't deal well with rats, mice, or anything from the rodent family."

Ezra just rolled his eyes before disappearing into the kitchen. Rounding the center island, he followed the noises that seemed to radiate from the wall, confused as to their exact location. Without warning, a small door embedded within the wall next to his pantry flung up. Ezra about fell backwards in surprise, completely unaware that the door had existed until that moment.

"Hi, Eza!" Noah chimed excitedly from inside the dumbbell waiter in which he sat. "We'ze got a cool secet door to each oter's paces!"

Chuckling, Ezra reached over to mess Noah's hair. "It seems we do, Buddy, very neat. Do your parents know you're in there though? That could be dangerous."

A small frown came onto Noah's face in response to Ezra's question. He reached up to fix the hair that Ezra had messed up. "No, Eza! It's a secet!" The voice with which he said this was laced with an attitude that told Ezra he should have known this. Ezra couldn't help but to smile.

He thrust a crumpled up piece of colored construction paper Ezra's way, smiling his toothless grin as he did. "I writed anoter letta, can youz mail it?"

Ezra chuckled and nodded his head but before he could verbally respond, a shout from somewhere behind Noah rang through the apartment.

"Noah? Where are you, Honey? We're going to be late picking up the pizza!" A woman's voice yelled from behind the little boy. Noah suddenly scrambled backwards towards his own home, leaving Ezra to laugh at his frantic response.

"Bye, Eza! Gotta go!" He quickly pulled the door down, once again leaving Ezra alone in his kitchen.

Shaking his head, Ezra amusedly turned to join Hardy again in the living room. It seemed the little boy next door was going to make life _very_ interesting. He might see about getting a latch, though, for that dumbbell waiter…

**So Ezra may start seeing Maggie and it seems he's got a tiny friend back at home. What do y'all think of how the story is going so far? I promise that this is an Ezria story so don't hate me just yet lol. Anyway, I love reviews!**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

_**EZRA**_

Ezra's first week of teaching couldn't have gone any more horrible. When he thought things couldn't get worse, it was if he had sent out a dare to the universe, enticing every day to one up the one before. He'd had to endure late assignments, failed quizzes, a phone call from a parent, even a physical fight in the courtyard; hell… he was starting to think he'd gotten a degree in teenage drama rather than education. When he parked his car outside his condo Friday afternoon, therefore, it was with the greatest feeling of relief. He was now convinced that Hardy's party on Saturday might be just what he needed (though he'd never admit to that).

Gathering his leather satchel and keys, Ezra dragged his tired body from his car and slowly made his way up the sidewalk towards his home. He'd just gathered his mail from the mailbox nailed outside his door when he heard someone struggling behind him. Turning, he caught sight of a women he'd ever seen before juggling a couple of grocery bags in one hand as she made her way up the walk. Her face was hidden behind the bags of groceries, save for a mess of dark brown hair and the tanned skin of her arms that mirrored the little boy's beside her. Noah skipped happily along at her side, holding her one free hand and messily eating a popsicle from his other.

"Eza!" Noah called out upon catching sight of him. He eagerly waved and ripped his grip from his mother's so that he could race towards him. The sudden movement caused the woman to drop the bags she'd been struggling to hold onto.

"Noah! I told you not to run!" The woman yelled towards her son. Noah, however, was yards ahead of her, already reaching Ezra's side.

"Hi, Eza! I got a posicle at ta store! Want sum?" He eagerly thrust the blue, melting concoction up towards Ezra who couldn't help but to laugh as he set his things down and turned to head down the path towards his mother.

"Thanks, Buddy. I'll pass though."

Noah shrugged in response before turning to push his way inside his own home, soon disappearing out of view.

Kneeling on the ground next to the unnamed woman, Ezra reached for stray cans of green beans, corn and various other vegetables.

"Here let me help you, Ma'am," Ezra said politely. Reaching for a package of cookies, his breath suddenly hitched in his throat as his hand grazed hers. He lifted his eyes to meet the surprised gaze of a young woman, probably around his age. The instant connection between the two crackled through the air as if ignited by a live wire, full of electricity.

"Thank you, thank you so much. My son- he seems to have a difficult time listening to me at points," she replied quietly. A soft smile graced her face as she straightened, allowing Ezra to take a bag of groceries from her arms. "I'm Aria. It seems you know my son already, Noah?"

"Ah, yes," Ezra chuckled. "He's a great little guy. It's nice to finally meet you, though, Aria. I was actually wondering when we'd cross paths."

Ezra reached out a hand, gently clasping Aria's in his own. They hesitated a moment longer than usual, taken aback by the physical attraction rippling through the air between them. Aria snatched her hand away, a blush filling her cheeks at the awkward moment. Tucking a stray strand of hair behind one ear, she shifted her things to one hip. "Well, he's been going on about his new friend, Eza, so the pleasure is all mine. He's usually pretty reserved so I'm happy he's made a new friend."

Ezra smiled is response and, after a moment, turned to follow Aria up the steps towards her own abode, making a left into her flat instead of a right into his own. He followed her into the kitchen and deposited the bag of groceries next to her own on the counter. Ezra's breath was knocked from him when Aria turned around. She had to be at least six or seven months pregnant.

"So do, you uh- live here by yourselves then?" Ezra asked nervously, scratching the back of his neck as he looked around.

Aria nodded quietly, suddenly avoiding his gaze. "It's a long story but Noah and I have been living here, just the two of us, for a little over a year now."

Ezra nodded himself. "Well, I'm just next door. So if you should ever need anything, just knock." The sudden blaring of his radio from his place through the brick walls reminded Ezra of his plans for that evening. "My friend… Hardy… he's insisted on throwing a party tonight actually. You're more than welcome to join. There'll be lots of food, drinks-"

"Thank you, Ezra," Aria answered, cutting him off with a soft smile. "I think I'll pass though. Can't really drink, ya know? And I probably shouldn't leave Noah by himself."

Ezra nodded in response, shoving his hands awkwardly into his dress trousers and rocking back onto his heels. "Well, if you change your mind… you know where to find me," he answered, shooting her his own smile in return. Pointing behind him, he continued, "I should probably get going, before Hardy burns the place down or something. I'll run into you again, though?"

Aria smiled at him and nodded, following him to the door. "Bye, Ezra."

With the soft clicking of the door behind him, Ezra finally released the pent up breath he'd been holding for the last fifteen minutes and slouched down to retrieved his things from where he'd dropped them. If Aria was anything like her son, he couldn't wait to get to know her.

_**ARIA**_

"_I'm so happy! Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof! I'm so happy!"_

Running a hand exhaustedly through her once neatly styled hair, Aria wearily looked towards the designer clock hanging above her fireplace. The piece had been a lavish gift from one of her best friends, Hannah, so Aria was forced to display it, whether or not she agreed with the price tag surely associated with the clock. She watched in displeasure as the midnight hour rang in with no sign of the pounding bass next door quieting. Maybe she should go say something? She hoped against all odds that the party wouldn't wake-

"Mommy?" Noah cried tiredly from his room. Aria sighed in defeat before pushing to her feet and making her way to her son's room. This looked to be a very long night.

"Hey, Buddy," Aria answered quietly as she gently pushed open the door to Noah's room. "Can't sleep?"

Noah shook his head as he tried to focus his tired gaze on his mother. Aria sat down on one end of the bed, reaching forward to run her hand through her son's hair. She pulled his blankets higher up towards his chin and leaned forward to press a soft kiss to his forehead.

"I'm going to run next door really fast and ask Ezra to turn the music down, ok? Try to go back to sleep," Aria told him. Noah nodded once before closing his eyes and hugging his stuffed giraffe tighter to his chest.

Aria let the soft click of Noah's door fuel her tired body to make the trek to Ezra's front door. She didn't even bother throwing on shoes. Reaching his door, she hesitated only a moment before rapping a quick couple of times against the dark wood.

"I've got to answer the door! Jeeze, just put a pause to the damn game!" Ezra yelled from inside. Aria rolled her eyes as she listened to him unlock the door and met his surprised stare when he threw it open a moment later.

"Aria! You come to join the party! I need a new partner for Euchre! You in?" Ezra asked excitedly. She could tell by the way he gripped the frame of the door that he was fairly drunk, barely able to stand.

Shaking her head, she answered, "No thanks. I, uh, actually came over to-"

"Ezra! What's taking soooo longgg?" A blond haired girl asked, coming up beside Ezra to cling onto his side. Another brunette followed behind a lazily draped herself across both of their shoulders.

"Sorry, Aria, this is a friend from work, Maggie, and her friend Andrea," Ezra introduced. Aria, having no interest in meeting his 'friends' ignored the two girls and continued with why she was there.

"Yeah… I just came to ask you to turn down the music. You're keeping both my son and I awake," Aria snapped after a silent moment. She'd had enough. She didn't know Ezra well, but by the look of things, he suddenly didn't seem like someone she was too keen on befriending.

Ezra instantly sobered up at Aria's harsh tone. He pushed the women away from him so he could address her. After a few muttered gripes, they were left alone. "Absolutely, Aria. I am so sorry. We've gotten out of hand over here, please forgive me."

Aria just stood there for a second, taking in the messy apartment behind Ezra and the throng of women and men that just barely fit into the crowded space. Shaking her head, she turned back towards her own place. "Whatever, Ezra. Just turn the music down. Thanks." With that, she left him to return to what appeared to be a scene straight out of a college frat house.

**Uh, oh. Looks like Ezra's gotten out of hand with his party and Aria's not too happy about it! How do you think this will impact their relationship seeing as how they just met? As always, let me know your thoughts!**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

_**EZRA**_

The blinding sunlight streaming through his bedroom window caused Ezra to throw a hand over his eyes and moan in displeasure. He couldn't remember much from the night before, but he was absolutely certain he'd again drank _way_ too much. The shifting of the mattress next to him had him instantly sitting up in bed and staring with apprehension at the mound of blankets to his left.

Had he slept with someone? Who was lying next to him? He looked down and released a sigh of relief upon finding himself fully clothed. The only thing left to do now was to identify his unknown bed partner. Uncertainly, he reached across the mattress and gently shook the pile of blankets, hoping against all odds that whoever it was would remember what happened last night.

"Ahdaghsldfl," the person mumbled next to him, not budging in the slightest. The horse mutterings gave Ezra no clue as to who lay beside him. Taking a deep breath, he nudged the pile again.

"I'm up! Jesus!" Ezra let out a sigh of relief as his best friend's face popped out of the cluster of sheets. Hardy tiredly peered up at him for a second before turning to look at the alarm clock on Ezra's bedside table. "Dude, it's like 9 in the morning! What's your problem?"

"Nothing, I just… wasn't sure who was sharing a bed with me," Ezra mumbled, throwing the blankets off of himself. "I'm going to make some coffee, want any?"

"No thanks, Honey. Come back to bed quick though, I'm getting cold!" Hardy yelled out jokingly before turning and burying back under the covers. Ezra rolled his eyes before making his way to his kitchen. One thing he could always count on was Hardy's joking to release any kind of awkwardness between the two of them.

To say his flat was a disaster would be an understatement. There were cups and bottles strewn everywhere, empty pizza boxes lined every counter in the kitchen, and there was a faint smell of vomit radiating from the bathroom as he passed it. That would be fun to clean up. Luckily, there was no one passed out on the couch or floors anywhere. He didn't need to deal with that on top of the massive headache threatening to split his skull wide open.

Ezra sighed in relief as he popped two Tylenols into his mouth and flushed them down with tap water. He knew he said it every time he drank, but this time he was serious. No more binge drinking. He was getting too old for these sorts of mornings.

He had just pushed a few buttons on the coffee machine to start a pot brewing when a low stream of music flowing from the living room caught his attention. They must have left the stereo on all night. Speaking of the stereo- Aria. Aria had come over last night, he was sure of it. Ezra groaned as he recalled how pissed she'd been at all the noise. A blush crept up onto his cheeks as he remembered the women hanging off of him when he'd answered the door as well. She probably thought he was a drunken man-whore after last night. He'd need to go next door and apologize.

Turning towards the fridge, Ezra pulled open the door and started to rummage through its contents. Food always seemed to help with any apology. And she was a woman. Women loved food laden apologies… right?

* * *

"Ow, dammit!" Ezra swore as the hot dish burned his hands. He shifted the plate to his other hand before timidly reaching up and landing a few soft knocks against his neighbor's door. He wasn't sure what to expect when Aria opened the door a moment later but the cold, icy stare greeting him wasn't it.

"Ezra," she greeted. Turning back towards the inside, Aria called out, "Noah! We've got to get going, Honey. Come on!"

"I didn't mean to interrupt anything," Ezra answered, watching as Noah came running towards the front door, dragging a sports bag behind him as he ran.

"Hi, Eza!" Noah greeted happily. Ezra shot him a warm smile as he turned back towards his mother.

He lifted the dish up so that Aria could acknowledge it before continuing. "I, uh, brought quiche to you know, apologize for last night and all. I didn't have as much food in the fridge as I thought, basically just eggs so..."

Aria's stance seemed to loosen at his statement and she quickly ran a hand through her hair before leaning down to take the bag from her son. "I really appreciate that, Ezra. No need to apologize, just watch the noise next time, ok?"

Ezra nodded exuberantly in response. "Absolutely. I shouldn't have let the party get out of hand. Anyway, it seems like you're on your way somewhere? I could stick this in your fridge or hold onto it until later for you…"

Aria laughed as she reached forward, taking the dish from his hands and disappearing into the house. She returned a moment later, now laden down with a bag of water bottles, juice drinks, and animal crackers. Shifting the load onto one shoulder, she gently herded her son out the door before turning to lock up.

"We'll enjoy that when we get back. Noah's actually has a soccer game this morning and it's my turn to bring snacks. We've got to get going or we're going to be late," Aria explained.

Noah suddenly started bouncing up and down excitedly. He reached forward and took Ezra's hand, dragging him towards the steps leading off the porch. "Eza you can come! We'ze playin' da sharks today and I gets to be goalie! Pwease!"

Ezra looked hesitated for a moment, looking questioningly back at Aria. She just shrugged in response. It looked like he'd be attending a soccer game that morning.

_**Aria**_

The warm fall weather caused a small sheen of sweat to break out across Aria's forehead as she and Ezra sat in the aluminum stands at Noah's soccer game later that morning. It probably didn't help that she was carrying another human being in her uterus either. Sighing, she turned to dig through her purse for a water bottle. She gave up in defeat when she came up empty handed.

"Here, take mine," Ezra offered, holding out his untouched water towards her. Aria smiled in gratitude before accepting the drink and downing almost half of the bottle in one gulp. "Looks like I'm not the only one dehydrated this morning," Ezra joked, nudging her shoulder with his own.

Aria let out a soft giggle in response. "I'm sure it's for two different reasons, though." Ezra blushed but said nothing in return. "Thank you for coming, Ezra. You didn't need to and I'm sure Noah really appreciates it. He's… lacked a prominent male figure in his life for some time now."

Ezra could tell by the tone of her voice that that was all Aria was willing to divulge on the subject so he didn't push any further. "Absolutely, I didn't have anything planned today other than to wallow in my own discomfort anyways," he replied, shooting her a crooked, goofy grin.

The two watched as Noah attempted to head butt a ball kicked towards the goal by a much larger child. He completely missed the ball, but that did nothing to stop the celebratory dance he started upon the blow of the whistle. Aria wasn't sure he understood that he had to actually stop the soccer ball from going in to the net behind him. Ezra started laughing beside her and Aria couldn't help but to join in.

"He's quite the entertainer, isn't he?" Ezra joked. "How old is he exactly?"

"He just turned five last month," Aria replied. Her heart rate started to pick up in speed when Ezra's hand accidently brushed hers, coming to rest on the bench space between them. Ignoring the reaction, she reached around to gently cradle her swollen belly. "This one's due sometime after the new year. Noah will be a great big brother, though. He's actually very excited."

Before Ezra could respond to Aria, a sudden yell of pain had both adults immediately diverting their attention back towards the field. Noah lay, now sodden down with dirt and grass, just a few feet in front of the goal. Without thinking twice, Ezra shot up from his seat and leaped down the stands. Aria stood to her own feet but the extra weight she bore hindered her from making any quick movements, so instead she watched in nervous apprehension as Ezra made his way over to her fallen son and dropped to his knees.

It seemed to take an eternity before Noah sat up, a goofy grin plastered across his face, and for Ezra to shoot her a reassuring smile and thumbs up. Her racing heart instantly calmed and her breathing returned to normal as she watched Noah jump to his feet and throw his hands into the air like he'd just beaten down an irate animal single handedly. She laughed at the now comical scene. It'd take a lot more than a stray ball to keep her little guy down.

Watching Ezra jump into action, though, tugged at her heart. He hadn't hesitated to rush to her son's side, no strings attached. Though she didn't know him very well, Aria was taken aback by how quickly the both of them had started to bond with Ezra. Noah needed someone like him in his life, and Aria was beginning to think that maybe she did too.

**I thought I'd throw in a chapter full of comical relief for a change in pace. It seems that Ezra and Aria are bonding, well at least getting to know one another better at least. Let me know what you thought!**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

_**EZRA**_

The weeks were slowly going by and Ezra was really starting to enjoy his new life there in Rosewood. He was slowly forming a friendship with both Aria and Noah, even getting to the point that he hung out with little Noah on almost a daily basis. He chuckled thinking about the child. He would come over to Ezra's apartment (most of the time _not _by the front door, either), and he always had a letter for him. In fact, Ezra started looking forward to seeing Noah each day.

Things at school were getting better as well. He was slowly adapting to the teacher role, having to both educate his students while babysitting them at the same time. Maggie was helping make that transition from college to career easier as well. He didn't have many friends in this town aside from Hardy, who lived two cities over, so to have someone he saw on a daily basis with whom he could talk to and enjoy spending time with was extremely helpful. After attending his housewarming party, Maggie hadn't pushed Ezra into going out on a real date yet but he suspected it wouldn't be too much longer before she broke.

Sighing, Ezra rocked back onto the back two legs of the desk chair he sat in and stretched his arms for a moment above his head. It was a lazy weekday evening for him, the trickling of rain against the window in front of his desk at home almost seemed to draw him into a sleep-like state as he attempted to grade exams. Grading had to be the part of his job that he actually disliked the most. He knew that most of his students understood what he was talking about, but a fair number of them always seemed to bomb every quiz or exam he gave. He couldn't figure out the discord for anything.

The sound of the door sliding up on the dumbbell waiter caused a small smile to form over Ezra's face as he turned his head upside down and caught site of Noah climbing into his kitchen. Aria had long ago figured out how Noah was getting into Ezra's place and no longer put up a fight about it as long as Ezra was ok with it. He certainly didn't mind.

"Hi, Eza!" Noah greeted cheerfully. He reached back into the dumbbell waiter and retrieved what appeared to by a small wire cage of some kind.

"Hey, Buddy," Ezra replied in confusion. He sat up in his chair and turned around to fully greet the child before taking in the package he'd brought along with him. "Whatcha got there?"

Noah lugged his present over to where Ezra sat and proudly held it up so that he could see the mess of wood chips and food pellets adorning the bottom of the cage. A tiny ball of fur sat huddled into a ball in the corner.

"I'ze got a new fiend, Eza! This is Beans, my new hamser!" he replied in his adorable lisp. He pushed the cage onto Ezra's desk, reaching onto his tip toes to do so and knocking off about half of the pile of papers Ezra had been marking. Ezra chuckled in response and reached down to pull Noah onto his lap so that they could peer into the cage together.

"He looks like a very nice hamster, Noah. Where'd you get him from?" Ezra asked politely. As cute as the animal was, Ezra wasn't too keen on furry little rodents occupying any part of his flat.

"My fiend Mason gives him to me," Noah replied in a whisper. He darted his gaze back towards his own house and then raised his finger in a hush sign. "My mommy don't know dat I got him, Eza. I snuck him in my backpack. Can I keep him here until she says yes?"

Ezra sucked in his breath, mimicking Noah's actions with a quick glance towards his and Aria's place. He was unsure how to respond. He didn't want a hamster sharing his home and he couldn't lie to Aria… but he couldn't say no to Noah.

Taking a deep breath, he raised a hand to run it haphazardly through his hair. Noah turned in his lap to look up at him with his best puppy dog face.

"Pwease, Eza? I pomise I take care of him. He's a good hamser, I pomise," Noah begged.

"Alright," Ezra replied after a moment. He looked pointedly down at Noah, hoping to convey how serious he was with his next remark. "You _will_ look after him, though, Buddy. Pets need a lot of care, ok? And you make sure to ask your Mommy soon."

Noah nodded excitedly and through his tiny arms around Ezra's neck in joy. Ezra somehow knew he'd forever be the owner of Beans the hamster.

* * *

Ezra was sitting down to lunch later that week when Maggie had approached him about officially going out on a date. He knew it was coming so he reluctantly penciled in a dinner with her that Saturday. The weekend rolled around and before he knew it, he was attempting to comb his crazy hair after buttoning up one of his finest dress shirts. He was taking her to a nice Italian bistro on the other side of town and their reservations were in an hour.

Just as Ezra was grabbing his keys to head out the door, the dumbbell door flew up. Noah stuck his tiny head into the apartment and shot Ezra a crooked grin upon seeing him.

"Hey, Noah," Ezra greeted. He walked over to ruffle the kid's hair and knelt down so they were on the same level. "I haven't got time to stay, Bud. I'm actually on my way out."

"Dat's ok, Eza," Noah replied. He reached into his jeans pocket and retrieved a crumpled piece of paper before handing it to him. "I just needed you to mail dis letta for me."

Ezra nodded with a large grin covering his face. "Absoultely. Hey, what do you say you and I play some Mario Cart tomorrow. After lunch, be here or be square."

The enormous smile that adorned Noah's face at Ezra's offering confirmed his approval of the idea. Ezra shook his head in happy disbelief as Noah then waved and disappeared from sight. How did he end up with a five year old as a new best friend? Hardy better watch out, he was losing ground.

* * *

"That was a really nice dinner. I've always wanted to try that place, I'm glad I finally had a reason to go there," Maggie said as they walked down the street. As it turned out, she only lived a block or two away from Ezra so they'd agreed to just use one of the last beautiful nights of the year to enjoy a walk through town. The coolness of the night air sent a shiver down her spine and Ezra, ever the gentleman, instantly removed his dinner coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. She shot him a thankful smile in return.

Glancing down at his wrist watch, Ezra turned towards her. "I had a great time as well. We should do this again. Next weekend, maybe?"

He nervously reached up to scratch at the nape of his neck. He'd never had too much luck on the dating front and was unsure how to end their evening together. Should he kiss her? Give her a hug? Fortunately, Maggie picked up on his awkwardness and took control of the reins.

"That sounds like a good plan. The night's still young, though, maybe we could have a drink or two?" She asked, shooting him a small smile. Glancing around, she continued, "I think we're closer to your place than to mine…"

Ezra nodded eagerly, happy to have the decision of what to do next off of his shoulders. He turned towards his place and hesitantly started walking. After a moment's doubt, he placed his hand on the small of her back as they made their way inside. Maggie had been to his place a few weeks prior during his housewarming party so he wasn't concerned with showing it off to her. He was worried, however, that his dirty clothes might still be strewn on the floor or that there might be unwashed dishes in the sink.

"It's a lot more spacious in here now that there's actual room to move," she joked. Walking towards his bookcase, she lightly ran her hand along the spines of the novels he'd collected over the years. "You're a well-read man, Mr. Fitz. I almost feel like I should start reading some of these so we can have a proper discussion."

Ezra let out a laugh as he came to stand beside her, glancing towards the books she now seemed to lose interest in. "I've got a few favorites I could lend you if you're truly interested. Nothing too special, though."

She waved him off, indicating she hadn't been sincerely interested in reading any of his books. That struck a chord with Ezra. It seemed kind of cold to instantly shoot down any interests he may have. Maggie turned and suddenly caught sight of the wire cage sitting atop his desk in the corner of the room. Walking towards the item, she bent down and narrowed her eyes in confusion. "I didn't know you loved hamsters. What's his name?"

"Beans," Ezra answered with a blush. "And he's not mine exactly. I'm watching him for a friend."

"Well good," Maggie replied dismissively. She stood and turned her back on the animal before making her way towards the kitchen. "Animals are nasty, disgusting creatures. Especially rodents like hamsters and gerbils. You're much too old to have a silly pet like that. Now… where's this drink you promised?"

**So Ezra and Noah have a new pet and Maggie seems to be becoming a bigger part of his life. Hopefully her dismissive attitude towards anything remotely important in Ezra's life will be their downfall. Where exactly is their relationship going anyway? Will Aria start to fall for Ezra any time soon? Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

_**ARIA**_

"Noah, please be careful!" Aria shouted towards her son from across the backyard. Noah had received a child-sized kite a few days ago as a surprise gift from Emily, one of Aria's closest friends. As a result, they were now spending their weekend trying to get the thing in the air but for the life of both of them, the toy refused to cooperate.

Ezra chuckled as he came outside, brandishing two steaming cups of coffee as he approached. "Decaf for you, Ma'am. I thought you looked as if you could use a cup 'o Joe," he greeted with a pitiful Australian accent. Aria giggled before lifting the cup to her mouth and practically moaned out loud in pleasure after the first sip.

"Thanks, Ezra. You've no idea how much I miss actual coffee," she replied. Ezra shot her a smile back in return before nodding towards Noah who was now spinning in circles with the kite being dragged across the ground.

"I'm not sure that's how it's supposed to work…"

Aria shook her head and leaned forward against the makeshift, waist-high railing separating the two patios. "I think he's long since given up on the toy. For all intents and purposes it was a great idea, but whomever designed it… let's just say that I doubt they have a degree in aeronautics."

Ezra let out a short laugh before turning to deposit his coffee mug on his outdoor table. "Mind if I help him?"

Aria shrugged in response and watched amusedly as Ezra bounded over to where Noah was twirling away in the yard. As a much larger man, Ezra comically towered over her small son but eagerly dropped to his knees to help the child unravel the now knotted up kite string. She had to give him props, he was certainly a handy man of sorts.

Aria released a confused sigh and leaned back heavily against the brick wall behind her as she watched Noah and Ezra take off at a jog across the yard, trying dismally to get the kite in the air. Ezra was nothing short of the ultimate source of confusion in her life right now. He cared greatly for her and her son, she could see that, even though they'd only known each other a little over a month. He would drop whatever it is he'd been doing to help them, offering rides when they were going places or picking up food for them whilst out at the store. She could honestly say that he probably helped them more than anyone else she knew and was becoming one of their closest friends.

The problem, however, was his life outside of their little bubble. Ezra seemed to party with his friend, Hardy, almost every weekend and from the looks of his party a little while ago, he wasn't too discriminative when it came to women. Aria wasn't sure that was the type of man Noah needed in his life.

"Momma, look!" Noah cried jubilantly from across the back yard, forcing Aria's attention back towards the excited duo. She looked up and smiled at the sight of his once flaccid kite now sailing many feet above their heads. Noah's consistent giggling and elated hopping told her that he was enjoying this far more than either of the adults but she didn't mind.

Clapping excitedly, Aria called back, "Great job, Noah! Look at your kite go!"

Ezra leaned down and scooped Noah up onto his hip. He instructed Noah where to put his hands and without a second thought, let the small boy take the reins. He then shot Aria a crooked grin and a thumbs-up with his free hand, instantly causing Aria's heart to pick up its pace. What was going on with her? She was acting like a teenager with a high school crush. She couldn't be falling for Ezra… could she?

* * *

Later that evening, as Aria was pulling the breaded chicken breasts she'd prepared from the oven, the sound of the door sliding up on the dumbbell waiter across the kitchen caused an amused smile to overcome her face. Noah's tiny head popped into the room a moment later.

"Mommy? Can Eza come ta dinna wit us?" Noah asked politely. His cute lisp instantly melted Aria's heart, how could she say no?

"Of course, Sweetheart. Tell Ezra, though, that if the two of you aren't sitting at this table in ten minutes, I'm starting without you," Aria joked, reaching over to ruffle the boy's hair. The soft brown color and texture of his hair instantly reminded Aria of his father. The smile she wore slowly melted away and she turned back towards the stove before Noah could see.

"Eza! You can come!" Noah shouted back behind him. Aria turned back to watch amusidely as her son scampered hurriedly into the small abode and ran towards the restroom to wash his hands. He sure was a good listener.

Not a moment later, Aria heard a soft knock resonating from their front door. She moved the pot of mashed potatoes off of the stove and went to greet their dinner guest.

"Hey, Ezra," Aria greeted with a smile. Stepping aside, she closed the door after him and led him towards the kitchen. "I hope you're not vegetarian, I've made chicken and potatoes for dinner."

Ezra chuckled from behind her. "No, I'm most definitely a meat man. That sounds awesome. Here I brought something for you, perhaps you can enjoy it… you know, in a few months?"

The confusion that graced Aria's face was replaced with a humorous grin as Ezra brandished a bottle of wine from behind his back.

"That's very… generous of you," she laughed, reaching to take the bottle from him. "I'll make sure to share it with you when I'm actually able to drink it."

Ezra let out his own chuckle and walked over to the dumbbell waiter, pulling it up to reveal a fresh plate of brownies. "I couldn't be that mean. I know you like chocolate so I made these this afternoon, hoping of course I'd get invited over for some of this delicious chicken I've been smelling all day."

Aria was at a loss for words as she watched Ezra place the plate upon the counter and turn towards her, brandishing his ever famous crooked grin. He seemed to think of everything. Before she could respond, Noah was running into the kitchen and scrambling to climb up into his usual seat at the table.

"Eza, you can sit by me!" He exclaimed excitedly. Ezra chuckled once before accepting the gracious offer and taking a seat to Noah's left. Aria let out a sigh and turned to bring the last dish to the table. This was sure to be an interesting evening.

* * *

"So then, literally no more than five minutes after I'd picked him up, he was throwing up all over me," Aria giggled, clutching her glass of water tight in her hand as she laughed. Ezra sat laughing just as hard next to her on the sofa. They'd long since finished off the dinner and brownies, all of the dishes sat neatly drying in the rack next to the sink and Noah had exhaustedly passed out in his bed. Aria, feeling the night to still be young, decided to take a chance and invite Ezra to stay for a night cap. Though she couldn't enjoy the burning sensation of aged alcohol, she was enjoying his company far more than she'd thought possible.

"I've never really gotten to experience the joy of a baby," Ezra responded with a soft smile, staring down into his drink. "I mean, I don't really know anyone with small children. Babies are cute, though."

Aria shifted so that she could really see him, leaning back against the couch cushions with her right side as she tucked a leg up underneath her. "Noah was adorable. He had this curly brown cowlick that wouldn't stay down for anything. It was right on the back of his head."

"I bet you were a cute baby as well," she poked jokingly.

Ezra let out a sharp laugh and dug his phone out of his pocket. He scrolled along on the screen for a few moments before passing the device to her. "I dunno, I think the jewfro mighta killed it for me."

Aria stared at the photo he was sharing with her for a moment before bursting into a stream of uncontrollable giggles. "You, sir, were quite the lady killer. I mean, look at those dimples."

She glanced up to take in the goofy grin directed towards her and the stubbly cheeks mirroring the baby smooth ones in the picture. Aria hesitantly reached over to lightly touch the aforementioned dimples. "You still are," she quietly said, responding to Ezra's smile with a grin of her own. The loud beating of her heart seemed to thrive with pent up sexual tension and only heightened more in it's cadence at the soft warmth seeming to radiate from Ezra's torching stare.

The hitch of Ezra's breath beside her told her that she wasn't the only one feeling the pull between them.

Awkwardly clearing his breath, Ezra shifted to push his now empty glass onto the coffee table before him and stood. He pushed his hands into his jean pockets and rocked back nervously onto his heels.

"I should, uh, probably get going. It's getting late and I- I've got to meet Hardy tomorrow for breakfast," Ezra said quickly. The rambling and stuttering way in which he hurriedly throughout his excuse told Aria that he might not be completely truthful for why he wanted to leave to fast. She wouldn't push him, though.

"Ok, well thank you for coming over, Ezra. You're more than welcome to join us whenever you'd like," Aria replied, showing him to the door. He shot a faint smile her way and a small wave before disappearing into the night. Sighing heavily, Aria ran a hand through her already disheveled hair. Where were things headed with Ezra? Did she even like him? One thing Aria did know was that Noah liked him. That was all that mattered for now.

**Aria and Ezra seem to be closer than ever but with Maggie in the picture where will Ezra really let their relationship go? A lot of you are anxious to find out about Noah's father and don't worry, that's coming up! As always, I'd love to read your thoughts and see your reviews! Thanks again for following along!**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

_**EZRA**_

"I have a thing for black and white movies," Ezra calmly stated over his chicken sandwich. Looking up towards Maggie, he continued, "I mean, I like the classics: 'It Happened One Night', 'On the Waterfront',… There's something about a film captured in nothing but the purest of colors that grips me. They pull me in, every time."

"Ok?" Maggie asked in confusion, glancing up for only a second from the papers she was grading. She flashed him a small smile before taking a bite from her salad and looking back down.

"Rosewood has a theater that shows only the classics. I didn't know that. I've been living here for almost two months now and I didn't know that."

"The citizens of Rosewood have a lot of money. Money they certainly like to throw into useless projects such as 'Film Noir' theaters," Maggie replied carelessly. Ezra ignored the statement, thinking she probably didn't intend to hurt his feelings or anything. She was just preoccupied with grading her student's exams before the end of the lunch period.

"Well, in any case, now I have to like here. I wasn't planning on liking it here. Or staying around for more than my initial hiring period but… I have a thing for black and white movies," Ezra finished. Standing up, he tossed his empty lunch bag towards the trash before turning for the door. "I'd like to take you to the movies on Friday. After school. I'll pick you up at eight?"

Maggie glanced up at that, seeing only his back as he headed for the door. "Sure, see you at eight."

* * *

Making their way from the theater late Friday night, Ezra couldn't help but to smile as he took in the reactions of people around them to the film they had just seen. It wasn't his first time viewing that particular movie, but he always enjoyed seeing the response of newcomers. Their reactions, for the most part, seemed to be positive.

"For a film shot only in black and white, they really captured some deep emotions."

"The music selection was phenomenal; it really added another angle to the story."

Glancing towards Maggie as they strolled down the sidewalk, Ezra's heart sank just a bit at her careless demeanor. He got that not everyone appreciated the original method with which films used to be shot, but she could at least pretend to like it… for him.

"So, what'd you think?" He asked hesitantly, already knowing her answer.

Maggie shrugged in response. "It was alright. Not really my thing, though. I mean, I get that these films are classics and should be regarded as such but, in my mind at least, they can't be compared to what we have today."

Ezra stopped short, furrowing his brow in confusion. "What we have today? Like what? Harry Potter? Avatar? Or how about Twilight?" He scoffed.

"Don't take my comment so personally, Ezra," Maggie scolded. Continuing their walk back towards his flat, she continued, "You're more… well cultured than most men. You like a good novel, hot cups of tea and classic music. But you also need to accept that not everyone likes the same things you do."

Ezra rolled his eyes but didn't respond. He was trying his hardest to keep their… relationship going. He wasn't even sure that's what this was. They hadn't discussed titles or met each other's families. After tonight, he was starting to think that maybe that was a good thing.

As they approached his small home, Ezra let a soft smile creep onto his face at the sight of Aria and Noah, sitting out on the porch. He watched as Aria lit a sparkler and gently handed it to her son. Noah wasted no time in taking off in circles around the front yard like a maniac. His wild giggles and crazy hair had Ezra chuckling in a matter of seconds. Maggie glanced up at him in confusion.

"Do you personally know them? I'd think it's extremely dangerous to hand such a young child a firework," Maggie said. "Maybe you should say something."

Ezra aggressively exhaled. He wouldn't let her judge Aria's parenting skills. "Yes, I do know them and Aria is a wonderful mother with impeccable decision making abilities. I think they're just fine."

He left Maggie to head up the porch, glancing back quickly to see the astonished look upon her face. She probably wasn't used to someone actually speaking back to her.

"Hey, Ezra," Aria greeted with a warm smile. "I found a box of sparklers left over from the 4th of July and promised Noah that we would light them if he cleaned his room."

She glanced towards Noah who was now crouched in the grass trying to light a forlorn leaf on fire. "Noah! What did I say about doing that? You either hold onto the stick and stop touching it to things or we're done."

Noah immediately jumped to his feet. "Sowry, Mommy!" He yelled back, once again taking off on a run around the yard.

Ezra again found himself laughing at the situation. Noah always seemed to be pushing his boundaries.

"I picked up most of the leaves for you last weekend but I guess I'll have to give it another go around tomorrow," Ezra told her. "Also, someone left a package for you at your door but you weren't home so I took it inside my place."

"Thanks, Ezra," Aria replied graciously. Their relationship had turned from friendly neighbors into instant friendship over the small time they'd known each other. Ezra really appreciated that and he was always quick to help whenever he was needed.

"Hi, there. You must be Aria. I'm Maggie, Ezra's girlfriend," Maggie introduced, coming up the small set of stairs to stand beside him. Ezra tensed as she grabbed his hand in hers and pressed herself to his side. He hadn't been aware that they'd officially become an item.

He quickly glanced towards Aria and in doing so, didn't miss the look of disappointment that quickly flashed across her face. She was able to erase it before Maggie noticed, however, and quietly stood to extend her hand with a small smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Maggie," Aria replied quietly.

The awkward silence that fell among the three of them was too much for Ezra to handle so he made a quick decision and headed back down the stairs.

"I was just taking Maggie home actually. I'll see you later, Aria," He threw over his shoulder. Maggie's protests only quickened his strides. He wasn't sure why he was suddenly so mad at her for introducing herself as his girlfriend… but something just didn't feel right.

* * *

Sliding his finger along the cool condensation that had collected on the side of his glass, Ezra took a small sip of his beer and glanced towards the clock hanging on the far wall. It was just after midnight and after taking Maggie home, he felt that he deserved a drink or two. Relationships shouldn't be this much work. He wanted easy, he wanted someone with whom it took no effort to connect, someone that shared his passion for classical music, books, and movies. Someone, especially, that wasn't judgmental of his relationship with his next-door neighbor and her son.

"You look like you're struggling with the world's next biggest crisis," someone chuckled from behind him. Turning slightly on his stool, Ezra took in a man around his height with short, cropped blondish hair. He extended a hand towards him and soft smile before sliding into the barstool next to him.

"I'm Toby Cavanaugh, I don't think we've met?"

"Ezra. Ezra Fitz. I'm teaching English over at Rosewood High."

"Well, that would explain it," Toby laughed. He signaled towards the bartender for a drink and then turned back towards him. "Wait a second… Ezra Fitz? Do you happen to know an Aria Montgomery?"

Ezra glanced towards him in confusion. "Yes?..."

"Well, it's about time I finally met the infamous Ezra," Toby responded with a smile. "My fiancé, Spencer Hastings, is one of Aria's best friends. Aria talks about you all the time. Won't shut up, really."

Ezra chuckled as he took another small sip of his beer. "I moved in next to Aria and her son, Noah, a little while ago. They're great, very easy to get along with."

"The way they talk about you, I'd come to think you were some kind of saint. That's good, though, they both need someone like you around. Spencer and I, we try to help them out as much as we can but it's hard. I own my own construction business and Spencer's in medical school… it's just hard, Man. So we really appreciate your help. Especially after…"

Ezra sat in apprehension, nervously waiting for whatever Toby was going to divulge next. After a few quiet minutes, Toby shrugged and threw back the remainder of his drink before standing and throwing a few bills down on the bar top.

"That's not really my story to tell. Just know… we're all pulling for her and Noah. Here's my number, should you ever want to grab another beer or something," Toby responded, sliding a napkin with his cell number scribbled across it towards him. He slung his jacket across his shoulder and shot Ezra a smile before heading towards the door. "It was nice to finally meet you, Ezra. Catch ya around."

"Yeah," Ezra responded in confusion. "See ya."

**Sorry for the delay in updating, I've been pounded with work and family gatherings so I've been busy. Ezra is now in a somewhat forced relationship with Maggie and is now aware that something's happened to Aria and Noah. What do ya'll think it is? As always, if you read then please review, I really appreciate it!**


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

_**ARIA**_

The smell of freshly dug Earth and the wetness of the dew upon the ground consumed every one of her senses. She felt her heart start to race and the palms of her hands grew damp with sweat as she became confused and disoriented as to her surroundings. Everything was… blurry, out of focus. What was happening?

Turning her head slightly to the left, Aria was able to make out a hole in the ground no more than ten feet from where she stood. She watched in apprehension as some unknown person, standing just behind the hole, turned to pick up a shovel and started throwing dirt down into the abyss.

This felt wrong. She had to stop them.

"Stop! Please!" Aria shouted. She attempted to move her feet, to physically stop the person shoveling the still sodden dirt but she found that she was unable to move…

Shooting straight up in bed, Aria sucked in a shaky breath as she realized it was all just a dream. The dirt, the unnamed individual… none of it was real. Why, though, did the scene cause her so much anguish? Running a hand through her hair, she decided it was time to get up. She couldn't possibly fall back asleep now.

Her phone suddenly vibrated, indicating she had an alert of some kind. Picking it up, she scrolled down the screen to see that she was due for a doctor's appointment in less than an hour.

"Shit!" She cursed to herself. She'd overslept… and forgotten to find a babysitter for Noah. She hated to ask Ezra, she already asked too much of him, but it looked like he was probably her only choice.

Hastily throwing the covers off of her, she rushed towards Noah's bedroom. She found him playing quietly with his army figures on his floor.

"Hi, Mommy!" He greeted cheerfully. Shooting her a toothy grin, he turned back towards his toys as Aria started rummaging through his drawers for clean clothes.

"Come on, Baby. Mommy has a doctor's appointment and you need to get dressed," Aria responded. She reached down to help him to his feet and wasted no time in pulling his pajamas off and throwing the new set of clothes on.

Noah's jaw wavered as he stared up at her in disappointment. "But Mommy, you'ze pomised tat we'd go to da fesival taday."

Aria sighed in defeat. She'd completely forgotten about the Homecoming fair they were having this week. She'd promised to take Noah days ago. Taking his hand she led him to her room so that she could get changed.

"I know, and I'm sorry but I've got a doctor's appointment that I can't miss. Guess what though?" She asked as she emerged from her bathroom freshly washed and dressed. Kneeling in front of him, she took both of his hands in hers. "You get to spend the day with Ezra! If he's not busy that is."

The sadness covering Noah's face was instantly replaced with sudden joy at the mention of their next door neighbor.

"Yay! He can take me to da fesival den!" Noah exclaimed. He turned towards the door, pulling Aria along in his eagerness to find their friend. "Come on, Mommy! We'ze gonna be late!"

**EZRA**

The sound of knocking upon his door drew Ezra out of his Saturday morning daze. He had been lounging all morning, doing nothing really, just biding time until an appropriate hour in which he could go see what Aria and Noah were up to. Drowning the last of his coffee, he slowly made his way to the front door and let a large smile come upon his face at the sight of the two people he'd just been thinking about.

"Hey, Ezra," Aria greeted with a small smile. She nervously pulled her purse further up onto her shoulder. Noah, standing clutching one of her hands, dropped his hold and latched onto Ezra's leg.

"Eza, we'ze get ta go da fesival taday!" He shouted in joy.

"We do?" Ezra asked with a small laugh. He reached down and pulled Noah up onto his hip, flashing him a small smile before turning quizzically towards Aria.

"I'm sorry, I hate to ask but I know that Hannah's working and I've asked Spencer to drive me and-"

"Aria," Ezra cut her off with a chuckle. Shifting Noah's weight slightly, he continued. "What's going on? You need me to watch him or something?"

Aria nodded her head in confirmation. "I've got a check-up in about 30 minutes, it shouldn't take too long. I promised Noah I'd take him to the fair this morning but you don't have to do that. We'll go to the next one. I-"

The sound of a short car horn from Aria's driveway alerted her to Spencer's arrival. She ran a hand quickly over Noah's crazy hair, shooting Ezra another smile in apology. Ezra just waved her off.

"It's fine, we can take a walk downtown. I've got nothing planned," Ezra replied. "Now go. I've got him. And don't worry, I'll make sure to feed him all the powdered sugar and ice cream his little body can handle before you get back."

"Yay!" Noah shouted in joy. Aria rolled her eyes, knowing Ezra would never do such a thing. She turned towards Spencer's car, shooting one last glance back towards the two boys.

"Come on, Noah. Let's go finish these pancakes I just made," Ezra said, disappearing out of sight.

**ARIA**

"So you and Ezra seem pretty close," Spencer stated as they sat waiting to be called back for Aria's appointment.

Aria shrugged in response. "He's a great help and Noah loves him," she said, flipping through one of the old, beaten up magazines that had been lying on the table beside her.

"Yeah it doesn't look like he's the only one," Spencer responded, giving Aria a knowing look.

Aria diverted her eyes, unwilling to further this conversation. She wasn't sure what she felt for Ezra. It didn't matter anyway, he had a girlfriend.

"If I were you, I wouldn't let that slip away," Spencer continued. She nudged Aria's shoulder gently. "He is pretty cute, too."

She paused a moment before continuing. "Have you told him yet? You know about…"

"No," Aria replied, cutting Spencer off. "I'm not ready to dump that on him. And should he really have to deal with my issues? I'm… dealing with them just fine."

"Uh, huh," Spencer responded with a sarcastic tone. "Those bags underneath your eyes say differently. He deserves to know if he's going to be in your's and Noah's lives. Just let him in, Ar."

Aria turned back towards the magazine, flipping the pages mindlessly as she took in Spencer's advice. Maybe she was right.

* * *

"Hey, you," Ezra greeted with his crooked grin as Aria knocked on his door a few hours later.

"I'm so sorry I took so long," Aria rushed out, stepping inside his house. "Spencer insisted on going out to eat after. Once that girl's stomach decides it needs food, there's nothing that will stop her."

Ezra chuckled in response, closing the door and leading her towards the kitchen. "It's fine. Noah's just napping from his exhausting day at the fair. You'll love the teddy bear he won at the fishing booth. It's twice as big as he is."

Aria smiled as she collapsed onto a bar stool. "That's great. I really appreciate you taking him. Oh, do you want to see the ultrasound? Doctor said everything looks good!"

Digging through her purse, she pushed a black and white photo showing her unborn baby across the counter towards him. Her breath hitched in her throat as Ezra stared down in awe at the photo and ran his finger gently across the glossy film. He looked like this was the most wonderful thing he'd ever seen.

"Wow, Ar," he breathed out, not tearing his gaze from the photo. "Just… wow. Congratulations, again, do you know the sex yet?"

Aria shook her head in response. "No, I want to wait. You know, let it be a surprise and everything. I don't mind either way, though. A boy or a girl would be nice."

"Yeah, either one is good," Ezra said in a far off voice. He sat down on the stool next to hers and finally looked up, melting her heart with his warm, loving gaze. "You're a great mom, Aria. This child is already lucky to have you."

Aria's heart suddenly took off at a rampant pace and she found it difficult to breathe as the small space between them seemed to slowly evaporate. Ezra, surely feeling the electricity between the two of them, unknowingly started to lean in. Aria let her eyes flutter close as she felt his breath warm her face. Just as he was about to close the distance separating them… she heard his phone buzz from inside his pocket.

Ezra released a small sigh and leaned back, nervously pushing a hand through his already disheveled hair.

"Sorry, it's… Maggie," he regretfully informed her as he snuck a glance at the screen of his phone. "I'm supposed to meet her for dinner later." They let an awkward tension fill the space surrounding them for a few minutes, unable to acknowledge the moment they'd shared.

Aria quickly nodded, embarrassed from the scene that had almost taken place. She eagerly pushed up from the stool and gathered her purse. He had a girlfriend. He had a _girlfriend_. She just needed to keep repeating this to herself. Ezra was off limits. It was time that she accepted that.

**Maggie is forever the problem lol. Is the tension between Aria and Ezra going to spill over soon? Think they've had enough of this two-step between them? Let me know your thoughts!**


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

_**EZRA**_

Ezra used to spend a lot of time worrying about the future. He worried about what college he'd get into, how he'd graduate, what job he'd have and the kind of money he'd make. Finding a stable relationship, getting married and starting a family were always on the backburner. He'd never given too much thought to it. If he found that happily ever after, then that'd be fine but if not… well, he'd be okay with that too. He had his family, friends and job. He didn't think he needed much more.

That was until he met Aria. For days now, ever since their 'almost kiss', she was all he could think about. He was obsessing, really. The hardest part: not knowing what to do about it. Did she feel the same pull he did or was she simply reacting to the moment? Would she be open to a relationship with Noah and a baby on the way? All of these questions made Ezra nervous.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the invigorating aroma of books and freshly brewed coffee. Bookstores were always his Eden. He felt calmer, more relaxed when he was surrounded by the never ending stacks of stories and history lessons. Ezra gently ran his fingers along the spines of the books lining the shelves in front of him. It didn't matter what story he chose, each plot, every character would offer a reprieve from whatever he was dealing with outside of those pages. Even if just for a little while.

"Bro, I can't believe I missed this issue!" Hardy exclaimed, coming to stand beside him. He was holding a magazine, and from the quick glance Ezra took at it, it was most definitely _not_ PG-13.

"Really, Hard? You can't act like a civilized adult for an hour out in public? And I know for a fact you have that magazine because you read, in explicit detail, the _invigorating_ articles to me last time I was over," Ezra jabbed.

Hardy just shrugged, listlessly flipping through the adult content without a care as to who could see him. Ezra gave a heavy sigh and turned back towards the stacks of books. Just as he was about to reach for a novel, someone called out from the other end of the aisle.

"Ezra! Where have you been? I've been trying to call you for _days_ now!" Maggie exclaimed. She stomped her way, quite effectively mimicking a teenager, down towards them.

Hardy shot him a quizzical gaze and Ezra remembered that the only time he'd 'met' Maggie was at his housewarming party. He was fairly certain Hardy didn't remember anything from that night as most of it was still a blur for himself.

"Sorry, Maggie. I've been caught up with assignments before the holiday break and have been holed up in my apartment for the past week," Ezra lied. Truth was, he was just getting sick of seeing her.

Maggie rolled her eyes at his response. "Whatever. Listen, I think we should go to dinner or something tonight. I haven't seen you in a while and I do miss you."

The soft tone of her voice had Ezra instantly feeling guilty for lying to her. He wasn't about to go back on that now, though. "I really have been busy with school stuff, Mags. How about this weekend? We can go to that nice Italian place you like?"

"Sure," she said with a smile. Leaning over she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "I'll see you Friday."

Just as she was about to leave, she caught a glance at what Hardy was flipping through a few feet away and stopped short.

"Really? Some men are just pigs. I'm glad you're nothing like that, Z." Without so much as a goodbye, she turned and disappeared out of sight.

Ezra turned towards Hardy, hoping to stop any harsh words that were sure to leave his mouth any second now. He caught his judgmental gaze full on. "Oh, don't give me that look. She's actually not that bad once you get to know her."

Hardy rolled his own eyes at Ezra's comment and threw his magazine onto a random shelf before turning for the exit. "What you really mean by that is that she's a total bitch but you'll get used to it. Come on, now _I _need a beer."

* * *

"Here you are, Sir, shrimp linguine," the waitress offered, setting Ezra's dish in front of him. She turned and placed a salad in front of Maggie. "And the Chef's salad for you, Ma'am. If there's anything else I can get for you, please let me know."

As soon as the waitress had left, Maggie wasted no time in letting her thoughts be known. "You really should start watching your carb intake, Ezra. You may be able to work it off now, but give it ten years and you'll regret your high fat diet."

Ezra gripped his fork tightly in his hand, staring down into his pasta without saying a word. She didn't deserve a response.

After a quiet moment or two, Maggie spoke up again. "So I've been working on preparing the exams I'll give before Thanksgiving break and I really think most of my students are going to fail no matter what I ask. Are you experiencing this too? I mean, is it just me or is each class getting dumber and dumber? It really makes our jobs difficult."

"My students are learning just fine," Ezra snapped. He glanced up towards her before continuing. "I mean, we had some rough patches at the beginning of the year but they've adapted to my teaching style. If you need some help I could-"

"I don't need any help," Maggie said, cutting him off. "Gosh, I should be able to talk about what's stressing me out without my boyfriend jumping down my throat. You could try to be less judgemental, Ezra."

Ezra sat there in shock. He hadn't thought he'd been too harsh. In fact, if he was being honest, she was the one that often jumped on everything _he_ said. And this 'boyfriend' thing was getting on his every last nerve. He suddenly knew what needed to happen.

Picking his napkin up off of his lap, Ezra wiped his mouth and reached into his back pocket for his wallet. Throwing a few bills down onto the table, he stood and pulled on his jacket. Maggie stared up at him in bewilderment.

"Where are you going? We only just got our food," she asked in disbelief.

"You know what, Maggie. I really don't think this is going to work," Ezra explained calmly. He could see the fire brewing below the surface and was trying his damnest to quench it before she erupted. "You're a great friend, but I don't see this going anywhere."

That lit her fuse. Poking a finger accusingly at him, Maggie lost it. "This is because you're in love with that girl, isn't it? Ariel? I've seen the way you look at her and she's always around! I always suspected she was a slut. She already has a son and baby with no father."

The entire restaurant went quiet at her loud accusation and Ezra felt the heat rising up his neck. He took a deep breath before responding. "Her name is Aria. And she is one of my best friends. She is twice the woman you will ever be and doesn't need someone like you looking down upon her. She is a fabulous mother, an amazing friend and one of the strongest people I know. And you know what... I don't need you either."

With that, he spun on his heel, intent on never speaking to Maggie ever again.

_**ARIA**_

Having just put Noah down for bed, Aria ran a hand haphazardly through her hair. It was nights like these that really tested her abilities as a mother. Noah had cried himself to sleep after arguing with her about eating his vegetables at dinner and throwing his plate across the table. Younger children had tantrums, she knew this, but whenever he had one it always tore at her heart when she had to discipline him.

She decided that she needed some fresh air and turned to make her way out onto the small porch she shared with Ezra. Walking out into the cool autumn atmosphere, she instantly felt better.

"Hey," she greeted Ezra quietly, seeing him sitting on the top step of the landing. He sat, his back to her, cradling a cold beer. He was listlessly picking at the label and offered her a far off hello. Scrunching her brows in concern, she dropped down beside him. She instantly grimaced at the amount of energy it took to sit down; she'd definitely need his help to get back up.

After a few quiet moments, Aria decided to break the silence. "You ok? I don't think you've ever been this quiet…"

Ezra released a defeated sigh and finally turned to look over at her. She could see the sadness he was feeling as plain as day across his face and it broke Aria's heart in two.

"Maggie and I broke up," Ezra said so quietly she almost missed it. He stared out across the yard for a moment before continuing. "I mean, I know she wasn't the most pleasant person and all, but we did date for a few months now and I… I dunno, I guess I just feel bad." He shrugged once before taking a draw from his beer.

Aria didn't hesitate as she reached over and laid a hand on his forearm. She gave it a gentle squeeze and offered a small, understanding smile.

"It's hard, no matter who they are or how long you were together," Aria agreed. "I've been in a few… less than pleasant relationships and every time they ended, I always went through some feelings of guilt. You wonder what you could have done differently, if it's your fault that things ended."

Ezra nodded as he listened. "Yeah. At least I've still got Noah," he grinned. Shooting a heart-warming smile at her, he continued, "and you."

Aria let her own smile cover her face. As much as Ezra was hurting from his recent breakup, she ultimately knew that only time would help him get over it. She thought for a moment or two. Maybe, though, she could finally tell him her story, she would do anything to get his mind off of things. Spencer's words had stuck with her, he deserved to know what had happened. Taking a deep breath, she turned slightly towards him and leaned back against the railing lining the front edge of the porch.

"You'll always have me and Noah, Ezra. We've… we've been through a lot. And I know that there's nothing I could say right now that would make you feel better about your breakup, but… I'd like to try. Our story isn't easy, but… I think I'd like to finally share it with you."

Ezra snapped his head up, turning to make eye contact as he stared at her in apprehension. The sound of crickets filling the air was the only thing they heard before Aria took a deep breath and started her story…

**Duh duh duuhhhhh… lol it's finally time for Aria to reveal what happened to her and Noah to Ezra. And Ezra finally broke up with Maggie! I hope the next chapter is able to live up to what you all have been waiting for! Anyway, I love reviews! They make me write faster lol**


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

_**ARIA**_

Sitting slouched against the porch railing, Aria looked, unseeing, out across the yard in front of them. She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart and bid, with all of her might, for the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks to go away. She hadn't even started the story but she felt as if she was on the verge of losing it.

Sensing her unease, Ezra reached over and took her hand in his, gently running his thumb back and forth across her knuckles. His soothing touch seemed to be the trick as Aria instantly felt calmer and ready to start talking.

"I was nineteen when this whole thing started, fresh out of high school," Aria began. She took a deep breath, tightening her grip on Ezra's hand, before continuing. "My brother, Mike, he was only seventeen, a junior…"

_**FLASHBACK, MIKE**_

"_Hey, Mikey, I hear you're going to get kicked off the lacrosse team if you don't get your grades up next quarter," a senior yelled across the locker room at him. "Looks like your pretty boy face ain't going to save you this time." Mike rolled his eyes at the snickering that then ensued after the obnoxious comment._

_Slamming his locker close, he headed for the exit. "I've got everything under control, don't worry about it," he threw back over his shoulder. If there was anything you could count on in high school, it was that if something could be gossiped about, it would be. He didn't feel the need to add wood to the fire._

_Rounding the corner of the school hallway, Mike's eyes fell on a short, nerdy looking girl attempting to push a stack of books into her locker. Just as she almost had them all in, the entire pile fell out onto the ground._

_Mike quickly made his way over and started to help pick up her things._

"_Oh, thank you. You don't have to help me though," the girl said quietly. She glanced up at Mike, pushing her thick, horn-rimmed glasses further up onto her nose as she did. A blush filled her cheeks as she realized a kid out of the popular crowd was helping her._

_Mike flashed her a small smile, gathering the books into his arms before standing. "It's no problem, really. I'm Mike by the way."_

"_Mona," the girl whispered. They stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say next, before Mike broke the silence._

"_Mona Vanderwaal, right? You're a senior?" Mona nodded at his comment and a thought struck him. "Hey, you're in all the AP classes and on the scholastic team every semester, aren't you?"_

_Mona stared at him in confusion, probably wondering how he knew so much about her. Mike liked to know things about everyone, though. He never wanted to be accused of being a stuck up jock. And Mona, for some reason, had always struck an interest for him._

"_I'm kind of struggling with a few of my classes and was wondering if maybe you'd help me out? Keep me from getting kicked off the lacrosse team?" He flashed her one of his heart melting smiles and waited on baited breath, praying she'd say yes. At this point, it'd take a miracle to keep him on the squad._

_Mona reached forward and took her things out of Mike's arms, turning to shove them in the locker before looking back at him. "Sure, I can help you. Just… can you do me a favor if I do?"_

_Mike nodded, not even hearing her request before agreeing. "Sure, anything."_

"_Get your jock friends to leave me alone," Mona whispered, staring down at her shoes. She hugged her bag tightly to her chest before glancing up at him. "I don't want to be picked on anymore."_

_**ARIA**_

"So Mike got Mona to start tutoring him for his classes," Aria continued. She picked at a piece of fraying fabric on her jeans with her free hand for a moment. "I didn't know her well because she was a grade below me but Mona… she'd always been the shy girl in class. She was extremely smart, everyone knew that. But she was so introverted that it was hard to hold a conversation with her. When she started hanging out with Mike, though... she gained a lot of confidence. Enough so that they even started dating."

Aria glanced towards Ezra and saw that he was completely engrossed in her story. She flashed him a small smile, thankful that he cared enough to listen to what she had to say.

"They kept their relationship a secret, of course. Everyone at school would have had a field day if they knew Loser Mona was seeing that jock kid Mike. They were polar opposites, but definitely in a good way…"

_**FLASHBACK, MIKE**_

"_Hey, you! I've been wondering where you were all week. I've barely seen you," Mike greeted Mona. He had been swinging on a play set in the middle of the park, waiting for her to arrive._

_Dropping into the seat next to him, Mona smiled softly before kicking off against the ground. She didn't respond to his greeting and Mike began to worry. She was normally never this quiet anymore._

"_Is everything all right?" He asked._

_Mona shook her head and he watched as a single tear fell down her cheek. Mike instantly stopped his gentle swinging and turned to grab one of her hands._

"_Hey, what's going on?" He asked in concern._

_Mona was quiet for a moment before answering. "Everything, Mike. Everything's wrong. No one at school likes me, we have to keep our relationship a secret… I just, I can't do this anymore."_

_Before Mike could stop her, Mona was taking off, eager to get as far away from him as possible._

* * *

_A few weeks passed with nothing more than a few stolen glances shared in the hallways or across the lunchroom. Mike tried, at every opportunity, to talk to Mona but she wasn't having any of it. Finally, he was heading out of a lacrosse practice for the day when he watched her disappear into a ladies room that he was fairly sure was vacant. He took the opportunity and followed her in, locking the door behind him._

"_What-" Mona stopped short, appearing like a cornered animal. Seeing that it was Mike who had followed her in, she instantly broke down into tears, covering her face with her hands._

"_Mona, I am so sorry for what's happened between us. I don't want to keep our relationship a secret anymore. I'll go tell all of my friends. I'll change my status on Facebook. I'll do whatever it is that you want me to do in order to have you back." Mike came to stand in front of her, taking her hands into his own so that he could see her face. "Mona, I love you."_

"_I'm pregnant," Mona whispered._

_Mike's heart dropped into his stomach and he stumbled back a few steps. Her news completely turned his world upside down. They'd slept together one time. ONE time._

_One time is all it takes._

_**ARIA**_

Aria shakily pulled her knees up to her chest, well as far up as she could get them in her current state.

"So did they keep the baby?" Ezra asked quietly. She could tell that he was hesitant to ask questions but eager to hear what else had happened.

She nodded her head. "Mona didn't want to at first but Mike convinced her. He told her that the baby was both of their responsibilities and just because they hadn't planned on having one, they couldn't just kill another human being. He- he was attached to that child before she even gave birth. Mona ended up dropping out of school to get home schooled by her parents and Mike quit the lacrosse team so that he could spend every moment possible with her during the pregnancy."

Aria smiled a bit, happy to recall the pleasant parts of this story. "They named me and Mike's best friend, Connor, as the godparents when the baby was born. We were all happy for them. Sure, it'd happened a little sooner than anyone would have liked but everything happens for a reason."

_**FLAHSBACK, MIKE**_

"_What should we name him?" Mona asked quietly. Staring down at the little blue bundle in her arms, she watched as Mike ran a finger softly over the baby's cheek. He was unable to tear the huge smile from his face as he stared down at their son._

"_Noah," he replied in a whisper. "We should name him Noah. After my grandfather."_

_The night that little Noah was born was the happiest night of Mike's life. He had no idea, however, the chaos that would ensue within the upcoming weeks._

_A few weeks later…_

"_Mona, please!" Mike begged. He watched in disbelief as she threw every baby thing that she could get her hands on into a big duffel bag. Tears were streaming down both of their faces and Noah sat in his car seat on the bed crying in confusion._

"_I can't do this, Mike! I'm not ready to be a mom. I thought I was… but I'm just not," Mona sobbed. She turned to pick up the duffel bag in one arm and the baby seat in her other, heading out of the room and down towards her car. "We're too young for this. I'm finishing my schooling in a couple of weeks and then heading off to college. Where will you be, Mike? You'll still be here in Rosewood, finishing high school."_

"_We can make this work, Mona," Mike cried. He watched as she buckled Noah into the back seat and turned to open the driver's door. Taking a deep breath, he wiped the tears from his cheeks before approaching her. "At least let me drive you to the adoption agency. I want to be there for my son."_

_Mona thought for a moment, but solemnly shook her head in agreement. She allowed Mike to climb in the driver's seat as she got in on the other side and refused to make eye contact as they backed out of the driveway. The drive lasted all of about two minutes before Mike felt unable to keep his feelings bottled up any longer._

"_I love you. And I love Noah. We can do this, Mona. I know we can," Mike started. "Just give it a chance. I'll-"_

"_No, Mike, this is better for all of us. He needs a stable life, we can't hold onto him for our own selfish reasons."_

"_We're not being selfish! He deserves to have his parents!" Mike yelled. "Us, Mona, he deserves us!"_

_The tears streaming down Mike's face suddenly blurred everything in front of him. He couldn't see Mona. He couldn't see the road. Hell, he couldn't even see the steering wheel right in front of him. Everything was a blur and the screaming child behind him only deafened the situation. Before Mona could respond to his cries, the squealing of tires against the pavement drowned out everything around them. The crunching of metal and glass was the last thing that was heard before everything went quiet._

_**EZRA**_

Aria was then unable to hold herself together as she recalled the horrific day that had claimed her brother's life, along with Mona's. She collapsed, sobbing into her hands. Ezra wasted no time in pulling himself over to her side and wrapping his arms around her shaking shoulders. He pressed a few kisses into her hair and whispered soothing sounds into her ear as tears fell down his own face.

"Noah, by the grace of God, survive the incident unscathed. He has a small scar on his forehead, just below his hair line, but it's fairly unnoticeable for the most part. Mike and Mona... they didn't make it and I gained full custody of Noah that night. Mona's family didn't want him and I was all he had," Aria went on after a moment. She lifted her head and wiped her cheeks as she attempted to finish the story. "My parents tried to help me raise him for a while but they couldn't look at him without seeing Mike. It was too much for them. They ended up moving to Iceland about a year after Mike's death and they send us money in the mail every month."

Ezra shook his head in disgust. How could her parents just abandon them like that? What kind of people were they?

"About a year ago, Mike's best friend Connor showed back up," Aria continued. "He was really close to Mike and took his death extremely hard, using that as his reason as to why he hadn't been around since he'd died. I believed him."

Aria let out a shaky sigh, pushing some stray hair behind one ear. "I let him get to know Noah, he was the one that even taught Noah about writing the letters. I guess he learned that from when his dad had passed away when he was a kid. Noah was only a toddler, though, so he didn't understand who Mike was or why we were so sad whenever he was brought up. I wanted to keep it that way."

Ezra nodded in understanding. A child that young shouldn't have to carry that much sadness around. He didn't deserve that.

"Connor and I got really close and I… I fell for him. I'm not sure, looking back now, whether that was because I truly did love him or because he made me feel close to my brother again. Whatever the reason, we dated for a while and after one drunken night this is what happened," Aria said, motioning towards her swollen belly. "Spencer had been living with me, helping out with Noah and all but had moved out when I started seeing Connor. She said she never trusted him. I guess she was right because as soon as he found out I was pregnant, he was out the door. He never truly lived with us so there was nothing really for him to pack. He just left a note saying that he couldn't handle another situation like Mike's. I found out a while later that he had joined the Army right after leaving. I'm not sure where he's stationed or what's happening with his life but- I don't need him. I've got Noah. I've got this baby. They're what keep me going."

Ezra sat in shocked silence. Aria had definitely been right. Her story wasn't easy. He pulled her tighter to him and pressed his face into hair on her neck for a moment. How was he supposed to respond to this?

Lifting his head, Ezra gazed down at her for a moment before pressing a slight kiss to her forehead.

"You. Are. The. Strongest. Person. I. Have. Ever. Known," he told her. He wiped one last stray tear from her face before continuing. "You're right. You don't need them. You're spectacular all on your own and you deserve nothing short of the best. My grandfather once told me that you never know what the biggest day of your life is until it's already happening. You won't know until you're right in the middle of it. You've had yours, Aria. And you've survived, better than anyone could have ever expected. Just… keep surviving."

**I'm sorry this chapter was so long but I didn't know how to chop it down without cutting out important parts of Aria's story. Anyway, I hope everything made sense and that you all understand where Aria and Noah are coming from now. Just to summarize: Mike and Mona are Noah's biological parents but were killed in a car accident. Aria adopted him and is now pregnant by Mike's best friend. I hope you all liked this chapter, and don't worry, more drama is to unfold lol. Review please!**


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

_**EZRA**_

Pulling his sweater over his head, Ezra reached up to fix the crisp collar of the dress shirt his had layered underneath. He took a shaky breath as he looked at himself in the mirror, smoothing down the front of his dress pants and attempting to somewhat comb his hair. Running a hand over the light stubble that had formed on his cheeks, he contemplated shaving but ultimately decided there wasn't enough time. Just as he had turned and started to pack his wallet into his back pocket, his phone went off across the room. He jogged over to catch it before the caller hung up.

"Hello?" Ezra asked, not even looking at the caller ID.

"Hey, you free for some pool down at the pub tonight?" Hardy asked. Ezra's eyes darted towards the clock hanging on the opposite wall. He was really going to be late if he didn't get going soon.

"Actually, I'm not," he responded as he thread one arm through his coat and juggled the phone to get the other arm in. "Aria invited me to Noah's holiday play tonight, so I'm on my way out the door."

"How old is that kid? I didn't know they could memorize or recite lines that young," Ezra heard Hardy scoff jokingly on the other side of the phone. "Fine, whatever, forget me for a preschooler. Next night's on you, though."

"Alright," Ezra chuckled. He bid Hardy a quick goodbye before grabbing his keys off of the counter and heading out the door.

The past week or so had been… stressful for Aria. After telling him about what had happened to her brother, she was more distant, quieter and reclusive then he'd ever seen her. It seemed that by telling him what had happened, she'd been forced to relive the entire event all over again. Ezra, therefore, was doing everything he could to stay close to her. He spent almost every meal outside of school at their dinner table, he collected her mail and groceries, and he even watched Noah whenever she had a doctor's appointment or needed time alone. She mentioned yesterday, on a side note, that Noah had his preschool holiday play tonight and he hadn't thought twice about going. Recalling the smile Aria had flashed him after he said he'd go was enough to tell him that he wasn't losing her. She was just… dealing with a lot right now.

Knocking tentatively at her door, Ezra nervously tapped a dress shoe clad foot against the porch flooring. He seemed to always be nervous whenever he saw her now and he couldn't figure out why.

"Hey," Aria greeted with a soft smile. She opened the door fully so that Ezra could step inside and he caught site of Noah struggling to tie his shoes on the stair case to Aria's right.

Turning, he finally took her in. She wore an elegant, but not too flashy, dress with a pair of flats and a few, sparse bits of jewelry. Her hair was pinned up so that a few loose tendrils hung down around her neck and the entire ensemble- it completely took his breath away.

"Hi, Eza!" Noah greeted happily, finally pushing to his feet to run over to him. Ezra smiled brightly, eager to tear his eyes from his mother before she caught him staring. He scooped down and pulled Noah up onto his side, reaching behind him to grab the flowers he'd hidden in the waistband of his pants.

"These, Buddy, are for you," Ezra smiled, handing two or three red roses to the child. "Every actor receives these at a performance. One of them is even from Beans."

Aria laughed at Ezra's comment and shrugged on her shawl before grabbing her purse off of the stairs. Ezra flashed another smile her way before softly handing her a single, white rose. "And this, Ma'am, is for you. I couldn't leave you out."

Ezra watched as Aria struggled to even out her breathing as she was handed the flower. It seemed his charm still worked on her, even when she was balancing the weight of the world on her shoulders. Aria shot him a thankful smile and took the flowers from Noah to deposit them in a vase in the kitchen. When she returned, Ezra had already fixed Noah's shoes and was buttoning his coat.

"Ready?" He asked. She nodded her head in confirmation and together, they headed out the door.

The gymnasium of the preschool Noah attended was packed to capacity by the time they arrived. Ezra watched as Aria fixed one of Noah's feathers on his head band and then let him run off towards the other children in his class. She turned towards him with a smile and graciously took the elbow he extended as they started towards the few empty seats located somewhere near the back of the crowd.

"He's been going on and on about this for weeks now," Aria told him. Finding their seats, she dropped her purse to the floor between her legs. "Noah somehow got the role of the main chief. Of course, his hardest line is only 'Let me show you how to plant corn'."

Ezra chuckled at her comment, looking around at the full house. "He'll do great; he's already one of the best entertainers I know."

Ezra moved aside a bit so that two younger women could make their way to the seats beside him. He nodded their way briefly, barely acknowledging their presence until one of them turned towards him.

"I don't think we've met before," the woman greeted with a wide smile. Extending a well-manicured hand towards him, she batted her eyelashes flirtatiously and adjusted herself so that she was fully facing him. "I'm Stephanie. That's my child, Annie, the one with the pretty pink dress on. Which one is yours?"

She motioned towards the herd of kids but Ezra didn't bother trying to pick her child out, knowing he'd be unable to locate one child in that throng of little people. The only one he could pick out for certain was Noah, and that was because he was putting on some kind of solo dance show for the other children. Ezra couldn't help but to laugh as he looked on.

Seeing that Ezra wasn't going to point out the child he'd come with, the lady continued, "The children have to be so excited for the holidays. My little Annie gave me a lengthy list of what she wants for Christmas just last week. And let me tell you, her taste is not cheap."

Ezra felt Aria sit up straighter on his other side as the lady continued to talk, highly aware of the conversation going on beside her. He shot a quick glance her way to see that she was staring dead ahead, her jaw clenched tightly. He released a small sigh before finally addressing the woman sitting on his other side. He had to interrupt her as she'd yet to stop talking.

"I'm sorry, I'm Ezra," he greeted, sticking out a hand for her to shake. He reached over and took Aria's hand into his own as he turned back to the other lady. "This is Aria. We're new here and pretty excited to see the children's first performance, so if you don't mind, I think we'll just wait for the kids to start."

The lady sat in shocked silence, finally realizing that Ezra was not alone. She flashed a quick smile their way before apologizing and turning around to start a conversation with another parent. Ezra looked over towards Aria, squeezing her hand slightly so that she looked up at him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to use you like that," He apologized with his infamous crooked grin. Lowering his voice, he continued, "I don't think she was going to leave me alone, though. Besides, I _am_ here with you."

Aria let out a small giggle. She was thankful for the darkening lights as a blush filled her cheeks when Ezra didn't drop her hand after a few lengthy minutes. As the auditorium grew dark, they turned their attention towards the stage. Tonight would be about nobody else but the three of them and Ezra was bound and determined to enjoy Noah's performance. With one final squeeze of her hand, they focused on the stage.

_**ARIA**_

"You didn't have to carry him," Aria said as they got home later that night.

Ezra just shot her a look as he headed towards Noah's room to put him to bed. "You really think I would have let you pick him up? Or wake him? We both know how ugly _that_ would have been."

Aria laughed as she deposited her things on the kitchen counter and turned towards the fridge for a drink. He was right, of course, Noah was not a pleasant person to wake up. Ezra entered the room minutes later, shoving his hands into the pockets of his trousers as he rocked back onto the balls of his feet.

"I had a really good time tonight," he told her. "That was probably better than any Broadway play we could have seen."

Aria almost snorted out the sip of water she'd taken at his comment. "I highly doubt that, but I enjoyed it as well. Would you like something to drink? I've got a few stray bottles of beer or wine…"

"Water would be nice," Ezra replied with a small grin. He rounded the island to lean against the counter next to the fridge and moved over slightly so that she could rest beside him after receiving his drink. "Those parents, though… Man, I thought I had the tough ones at the high school level but these guys were just…"

"Very forward," Aria giggled. Staring down into her drink, she swirled the water around, watching as it collected beads of condensation from the lip of the glass. Her heart sped up slightly when her arm brushed slightly against his as he shifted slightly from where he stood. "I, um, I don't know if I've ever thanked you, Ezra. You've done a lot for us... and just, I know you don't have to but-"

"Hey," Ezra said, cutting her off. He turned so that his right side was leaning against the counter. Setting his glass onto the counter top, he reached forward with his left hand and gently cupped Aria's cheek, effectively pulling her eyes up to meet his. He softly ran the pad of his thumb across the soft skin of her cheek before continuing. "I love helping you. You and Noah… you're the closest thing I've got to family out here and I couldn't imagine not having you in my life. So- don't thank me. Ok? I should be thanking you."

The tension between the two rippled through the air and Aria swore it got at least ten degrees hotter as Ezra stared down at her. She unconsciously licked her lips and watched in surprise as Ezra's eyes darted towards them for a brief second before flickering back towards her own. It was as if he was asking her permission to close the dismal space between them. She certainly had no objections.

Aria's breathing hitched and her heart sped into overdrive as the clock in the living room counted out each passing second. Surely he wouldn't want her? She was too broken, had too much baggage. He needed something fresh, someone with no child and less skeletons in their closet. He-

Her thoughts were cut off the moment that Ezra's lips pressed against her own. She hadn't even seen him leaning in. She stood, shocked, for only a moment before pushing her glass next to his and hesitantly wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her body up against his. He was gentle with her, loving. She'd never felt a connection like this before. This felt… right.

Before she could think about her next move, Ezra was suddenly pulling away from her.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, taking a step back. He ran a hand nervously through his hair and looked anywhere but at her. "I shouldn't have- I'm not good at- I…. I should go."

Without a second glance, Ezra was gone.

**I received a couple messages that this chapter wasn't being uploaded. I've deleted it and reuploaded it, hope this fixes the problem. Anyway, I intended this to be a lighter chapter after the one before but I started writing and went a completely different direction. Why do you think Ezra booked it? Is Aria even ready for a relationship with him? You all are doing such a great job reviewing that I actually look forward to them the second I post a chapter! Don't let me down!**


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

'_Someday, we'll run into each other again, I know it. Maybe I'll be older and smarter and just plain better. If that happens that's when I'll deserve you. But now, at this moment, you can't hook your boat to mine, because I'm liable to sink us both.' – Gabrielle Zevin, __Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac_

_**EZRA**_

We draw lines establishing boundaries between ourselves and everyone that we attempt to have a relationship with. Whether these relationships are platonic or romantic, whether you'll be their best friend or worst enemy… there's always a line drawn. Life is messy, chaotic, and downright dangerous. Why then, do we waste our time drawing lines?

Running a hand tiredly over the stubble that had claimed most of his face below his cheek bones, Ezra sighed and shot another glance towards the clock hanging on the opposite side of the room.

"You have ten more minutes," he called out to the class. From the disgruntled groans thrown back, he was sure that many of his students would be scribbling their last sentences until he came and forcefully tore their midterm exams from their hands.

The only good thing to come out of exam week was the down time he was afforded. The quiet time allowed him to think… about Aria. He'd been avoiding her since their kiss. Why had he ran? What was he afraid of? He was sure Aria was asking herself the same questions but even he didn't have the answers. Maybe he was afraid of commitment. Or perhaps it was the intense bond that he already shared with her and Noah that frightened him. Either way, he knew he couldn't avoid her forever.

Glancing towards the clock once again, he pushed out of his chair and rounded his desk. "Alright, let's have 'em."

He made his way from desk to desk, collecting the exams individually and wasn't surprised by who was still scribbling and who was already done and ready to go. Some things never changed. Just as he was collecting the last test, the bell rang out, signaling the end of the last period of the day and the start of Christmas vacation.

"Alright, please make sure to start reading Lord of the Flies over break. We'll be starting with your new group projects on the first day back," he called out after his students. A few turned around and waved, wishing him a good holiday break, but most couldn't get out the door fast enough.

He shoved the stack of tests into his satchel to grade over the long holiday break and shrugged on his coat before heading towards the door. He'd have to go home sooner or later. Though his anxiety was at a peak because of the situation with Aria, he could take solace in knowing at least he wouldn't have to see Maggie for a couple of weeks. They'd both done a good job avoiding each other since the split but he'd be grateful for the time away. Flicking off the lights to the classroom, he headed for home.

* * *

A small amount of snow had fallen the night before in Rosewood, covering everyone's yards and their respective decks or walkways with a soft coat of fresh powder. When Ezra pulled into his drive a short time later, therefor, he made a mental note to throw down some salt later. He didn't need either Noah or Aria slipping down the path. Hopefully he could do that without being seen. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk with Aria about what had happened, he just needed… more time.

Trudging up the sidewalk towards his front door, he paused a moment to collect his mail before using his key and letting himself into the tiny abode. He shrugged out of his jacket, dutifully hanging it on one of the coat hooks by the door, before making his way into the kitchen. He was supposed to meet Hardy later to watch some basketball game so he thought he'd better get started on dinner now. Opening his fridge, he sighed in displeasure at the meager contents. He hadn't had time to go to the store all week with exams and all so it looked like he was stuck making pasta… again. He was really starting to miss Aria's meals and it'd only been a couple of weeks.

He flipped on the hot water to the sink and waited for it to warm up. He waited… and waited… and waited. Nothing.

"Great," he grumbled, angrily pushing the faucet off. It looked like the pilot light on the hot water tank had gone out again. He snagged up his coat and headed out the back door. The duplex he lived in shared a common basement with Aria's and there was an entrance to it from a little door out back. They were told they could use the area for storage or whatnot but Ezra (despite Hardy's grumblings) didn't have too many things and thus didn't need to store anything down there. He did know that the hot water tank and water softener system were down there, though, because it dutifully went out on a frequent basis. He was on the verge of calling the landlord and officially placing a complaint soon.

He flipped on the light switch and trudged down the stairs towards the basement, eager to seek out the hot water tank, light the pilot light, and get out of there.

"Shit," he cursed as he stubbed his toe on a few of Aria's boxes. He might not have many things but Aria on the other hand… well let's just say that she was your typical border-line hoarder.

"Ezra?" a female voice called out from the top of the stairs. He turned and watched as Aria climbed down into the basement behind him, wrapping the tiny sweater she wore tighter around her body as she came to stand beside him at the hot water tank. It looked like he wasn't going to be avoiding her any longer.

"Hey," He greeted with a faint smile. He turned back towards the water tank and knelt to open the small latch hiding the pilot light. "Looks like the pilot went out again. Have you had any hot water all day?"

She shook her head in embarrassment. "I think it went out after I gave Noah a bath this morning. I didn't know how to fix it; you've always taken care of it…"

Ezra looked up at her as she trailed off and took in the bags below her eyes and her slouched stance. She looked as if she hadn't slept in weeks. "I'll fix it. Why don't you head back up? Tell Noah to save one of those cookies for me that I smelled earlier," he said, shooting her another smile.

She smiled back and turned to head out of the dank, dark basement. She made her way to the staircase and had just laid a hand on the railing when she stopped short. Aria slowly turned back towards him and once again wrapped her arms around herself as if she was holding in any last courage she had to face him with.

"I'm sorry," she whispered from across the room.

Ezra, who'd been kneeling on the ground trying without success to light a match, glanced up towards Aria at the sound of tears in her voice. He scrunched his brow in confusion. "For what?"

"For whatever it is that I've done to make you avoid us," Aria responded. She took a deep breath before continuing. "You're one of my best friends, Ezra. I can count on you for anything and ever since our kiss… it's like you've pulled away. You're avoiding us- me. You're avoiding me."

Ezra pushed up off the ground, wiping his dirty hands against the dark material of his dress slacks before walking slowly over to her and tentatively taking her hands in his. "You have done nothing wrong," he told her. He reached forward to lift her chin so that she was looking at him. "I'm- I'm a coward, ok? I think the reason I've been avoiding you is because I'm afraid. I'm afraid of how strong my feelings for you are. _You_ scare me, Aria."

She looked at him, unable to break eye contact, and he watched with grief as a sole tear made its way down her cheek. He brushed it away gently, caressing her cheek as he did.

"Just.. just talk to me," she replied hoarsely. "Please."

They stood there in complete silence for a few moments, taking in the solitude of the moment between them. Ezra didn't know what to say but he knew how he felt and she deserved to know as well.

"I'm not sure… I mean I don't…" Taking a deep breath, he tried again. "I'm ready to not be afraid anymore."

Ezra leaned down slowly, hoping to give her time to back away if she felt she wasn't ready for this again. Sensing his hesitation, she reached up onto her toes and closed the distance separating them. The feel of her lips against his sparked a fire deep within him that, until that moment, Ezra was unaware had gone out. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush up against him, as she wound her hands into the hair at the base of his neck. They stood, embraced in each other, for what seemed like hours but in reality only lasted a few short moments before Aria shyly pulled away. She looked anywhere but up at him until Ezra cupped her cheek, again forcing her to look at him. The sparkle in her eyes told Ezra that she felt it too. She felt their connection.

"What now?" She whispered.

Ezra answered her with a large smile, reaching forward to push some stray hair behind her ear. "Now you let me take you on a real date. Let me prove to you that I'm not the coward I pretend to be."

Aria laughed at his comment and he thought he'd never heard anything more beautiful. "You're not a coward, Ezra Fitz. You're far from cowardly. But I will let you buy me a meal. On one condition, though."

Ezra looked at her questioningly.

"You have to buy for three. Noah is part of the package. I'm sure you knew that, though."

"I'll do one better," he answered, smiling down gently at her. "I'll pay for four. I may even cook." Softly touching her pregnant stomach, he wasted no time in once again pressing his lips to hers.

**Sorry it took this long for Aria and Ezra to finally get it together. It's been a good ride so far, though, right? No good story gives up all the good parts right from the get go! Did I do this chapter justice? Let me know your thoughts as always!**


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

_**EZRA**_

"Why are you so weeiiirddd?" Noah giggled as Ezra flipped a spatula behind his back, catching it successfully with his opposite hand. He was in the middle of cooking dinner for the three of them and Noah had graciously offered his help. His help, however, was little more than eating the garlic bread when he thought Ezra wasn't looking.

"Hey, one day you'll be lucky enough to be as weird as me," Ezra jibed back. He turned and plucked a grape from the fruit salad he'd put together and tossed it towards the little boy, laughing as he giggled and ate the fruit off the countertop as if he was a dog.

"Woof," Noah called out playfully. Ezra chuckled and turned back towards the dish he was finishing.

"Where's that Momma of yours?" Ezra asked, sprinkling some seasoning on the meat. Glancing back towards Noah, he continued, "Why don't you run on over and see if she's planning on gracing us with her presence any time soon?"

Noah nodded and jumped off the stool he'd been sitting on. He threw open the dumbbell waiter and stuck his head in, calling out for Aria. "Mommy! Ezra wants ta know if you'ze ready yet?! I'm hungry!"

"I'm coming, Baby!" Ezra heard her call back. "Tell Ezra I'll be there in five minutes!"

Noah turned back towards him. "She sayz she'll-"

"I heard her, Bud," Ezra chuckled. He reached over and messed up his hair before pulling down the small door separating the two homes. "I asked you to go over there and talk to her, not to yell through the dumbbell entrance. We're going to work on that, Buddy. Go wash up, please."

He watched as Noah ran toward the bathroom to do as he'd asked before turning to put the last dish on the table. This parenting thing, it was easier than Ezra thought. He had just picked up a dish towel to start drying his hands when a tiny knock resonated from the front door. A smile overcame his face as he walked over to let Aria in.

"Hey, you," he greeted, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her cheek. She flashed him a smile and handed him a homemade pie as she kicked off her shoes and waddled after him. Waddled was the wrong word, he shouldn't use that to describe her walking but… yeah, she waddled. Aria was due within a month and could barely stand, let alone walk, for too long.

"Momma, did you'ze bing da cookies too?" Noah asked as he joined them at the table a few moments later.

"No, Sweetheart," Aria replied, reaching over to lay his napkin on his lap. "You've eaten most of them and I'm sure Ezra doesn't want the crumbs. I'll bring him some fresh ones tomorrow."

Ezra smiled at her in response before dishing out the food. He squeezed Aria's shoulder slightly before setting the food down and taking a seat. She smiled softly up at him response. It had taken him a while to realize that this is what he wanted: a stable, stress free relationship. He didn't have to constantly work at keeping his relationship with Aria together. It came naturally. It'd taken him a while to get here… but he was glad he was finally giving it a chance.

_**ARIA**_

Aria breathed in deeply, enjoying the brisk, cold air as it hit her lungs. She gently closed the patio door and leaned back against the cool bricks of Ezra's home. She wasn't allowed to do much now days, her doctor had long since assigned her to nothing but bed rest. Ezra, therefore, was doing everything: shopping, cleaning, and helping to care for her son. He really was the biggest help she had. Even at this moment, he insisted on cleaning up after the dinner _he'd_ cooked while simultaneously keeping an eye on Noah who sat playing video games in the living room. He'd asked that she sit down and relax but she needed a moment alone, some time to collect her thoughts.

Ezra would be a great father one day, any blind man could see that. Was he ready for that right now? She knew she needed him… God, did she need him. But was she rushing him into something he wasn't ready for?

"Hey, I was wondering where you vanished to," Ezra greeted as he came out to join her on the patio. Walking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her swollen midsection and placed a kiss to her temple before resting his head atop hers and following her stare out into the backyard.

"Am I rushing this?" Aria whispered after a quiet minute or two.

She felt Ezra still at her words before he turned her in his arms so that he could look down into her eyes. "Absolutely not. Why would you ask that?" He asked, scrunching his brows in confusion.

Aria released a small sigh and watched as her breath instantly formed as a puff of warm air in the icy cold winter night. "I mean… you just moved here a couple of months ago. You're starting your career, beginning your life. You weren't looking for this- for a family."

"How could you possibly know what I was looking for?" Ezra asked with a smile. Framing her face in both of his hands, he stared down lovingly at her for a moment. "I may not have been looking for this in particular but as soon as I met the two of you… I knew. I know. This is it, this is what I want. You, Aria… and Noah and this baby."

Aria smiled up at him through the tears that clouded her vision. She must have done something right among all of her shortcomings to have ended up with him. For once in her life, she truly felt loved.

Ezra lowered his face to hers and gently pressed his lips against hers. The air between them intensified with the strength of emotions running through the both of them and it was all she could do from not collapsing in his arms. Instead, she gripped his biceps, enjoying the feel of the strong roll of muscle beneath his sweater. They hadn't been dating that long, not even a week, but Aria was certain that this was it for her. The heat radiating off of Ezra caused a tiny shiver to run through her, reminding Aria of the cold air they were currently enveloped in.

Feeling Aria's shiver, Ezra pulled back. "Why don't we go back inside? It's pretty cold out here."

Aria smiled back in response and followed him into the warm house. Hearing their entrance, Noah turned slightly to throw a quick glance their way before looking back at the television screen. She let out a little giggle as she watched him pound away at the buttons on the controller he was holding. At such a young age, Aria was certain that he didn't have a clue as to what he was doing but she admired Ezra for letting him try. She walked further into the living room at caught glance of the foreign movie posters lining the walls and the stacks of books within the many bookcases. Aria walked towards the posters and reached out slightly to touch the glossy print.

"I didn't know you were such a movie buff, Ezra," she commented, trailing off slightly. "Did you know that Rosewood has a theater that shows only the classics? We should go sometime; it's a really neat place."

Ezra came to stand in front of her, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he turned to lean back against the brick wall behind him. "I actually did know that. And I would love to take you," he said, shooting her a heart melting smile. The way he looked at her… it warmed everything down to her core. In the few times she'd met Maggie, she'd never seen him look at her like that.

"Do you enjoy the classics? I mean, you don't have to indulge me if you don't. It wouldn't hurt my feelings," Ezra continued after a moment. The hesitation in his voice caused her to burrow her brows in confusion.

"I do, actually. I wouldn't have suggested it if it wasn't something I liked. I actually used to go there quite frequently. I get a lot of inspiration from the stories for my own work."

"Your own work?"

Aria nodded her head, drifting towards the bookcases so she could catch some of the titles. She was surprised at how many she recognized and had even read herself.

"You don't think I'm a stay at home mother that survives off of welfare checks and my parent's help do you?" Aria chuckled, glancing back at him again. "Before I ended up with Noah, I actually was taking a few courses in creative writing over at Hollis. A friend of my father's seen my work and works with me every now and then to get a few ideas published. Nothing big, mainly just children's stories, but… it pays the bills and I actually love doing it. I still take classes… or I did until I ended up pregnant. But I plan on continuing, finishing my degree."

Ezra was quiet for a moment, enough so that Aria stopped her slow walk around the room to look back at him. His eyes were fixated on her. Pushing off the wall, he came to stand in front of her. He reached forward to gently cup her cheek.

"You amaze me more and more every day," he whispered. "How someone could go through what you've had to go through and still keep fighting… you're amazing."

Aria felt tears well up in her eyes as she stared up at Ezra. No one had ever felt this way about her, and in that moment she knew too. She knew that she wouldn't be giving him up without a fight.

**Sorry for the mostly uneventful chapter. After the last few that were filled with drama, however, I felt something fluffy was needed. Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

_**ARIA**_

Aria looked over the menu in front of her for about the hundredth time before letting out an aggravated sigh. She was supposed to have met Spencer for lunch over a half hour ago and her friend had yet to make an appearance.

"Can I get you some more iced tea, Ma'am?" The waiter asked as he made his round again past Aria's table.

"No thank you, I'm fine," Aria responded. One of the drawbacks of being eight months pregnant was the constant urge to pee. Her baby seemed to like resting on top of her bladder, thus causing Aria to have to rush to the restroom every thirty minutes. She didn't need to drink a second glass of tea and speed up the process.

"I am _so_ sorry!" Spencer exclaimed as she came barreling through the doors and collapsed in the seat across from Aria a moment later. She ran a hand through her hair to try and smooth the frizziness that had collected as a result of her apparent run to meet her. "I was grading lab reports for the underclassmen I'm GAing for and time got away from me. Have you ordered yet?"

Aria shook her head and picked at her napkin. "It's fine, Spence. Don't think I'll let you live this down for a while, though. I mean, come on, a pregnant woman ready to pop at any second should never have beaten _the_ Spencer Hastings to a meal." Aria shot her a smile to show she was only joking before Spencer took her seriously; she had a tendency to do that.

"Yeah, how are you feeling by the way? I haven't seen you since Thanksgiving. Noah doing well?"

"I'm fine. Tired, achy, and ready to get this child out of me… but I'm alright. And Noah's Noah," Aria laughed. "His new found interest seems to be dinosaurs for some reason so you've been recruited to help me shop for Christmas gifts with said theme after lunch."

Spencer just shrugged and turned her attention to the menu. As much as Spencer loved making small talk, Aria knew she was really just focused on getting food- soon. The waiter came by not a minute later and eagerly took their orders. In fact, his eagerness told Aria he was all too excited to meet her lunch partner. Spencer got the message loud and clear and made quite the show of making sure he saw her engagement ring as she handed him her menu. Aria just chuckled as the poor boy scampered off.

"Speaking of catching up…. How's Ezra?" Spencer asked with a knowing gleam in her eye a moment later. A blush filled Aria's cheeks at her question. She hadn't exactly updated any of her friends on the status of her relationship with Ezra. Her reaction was all Spencer needed.

"It is about time, Ar! Now you're going to have to forgive me but I'm going to go all Hannah on you. Have you guys kissed? Is it official yet? What's he like in bed? Does he-"

"Spencer!" Aria interrupted, blushing much brighter than she had a minute before. She didn't want to know where Spencer was going with her questions but she could take a wild guess. "We decided to give… us…. A try only just last week. And he's Ezra so… he's perfect."

Spencer fanned herself with her hand, perfectly mimicking what was sure to be the reaction of their blond haired friend. Sitting up straighter, she shot Aria a smile and reached over to squeeze her hand. "I'm happy for you, Aria. You deserve someone like him. I've seen the way he helps you with Noah and that man is the real deal. Don't let go of him."

Aria smiled down into her drink. "I don't plan on it."

"Oh, we should double date!" Spencer exclaimed happily. She dug her phone out of her purse and scrolled around for a minute or two before continuing. "Perfect! What are you doing this Friday? Toby and I have signed up to take this couple's pottery class over at Hollis. You guys should come with us!"

Aria made a face. Pottery and eight months of pregnancy didn't seem like a good combination to her. "I dunno, Spencer…"

"Oh, come on! At least try! I want to get to know him, we all do. Besides you should go out on at least one real date before the baby gets here. After that, who knows when you'll get any alone time."

Spencer did have a point. Aria wanted her friends to get to know Ezra, at least more than the few words exchanged when they'd met in passing. This seemed like a good opportunity to do just that. She turned to dig her own phone out of her purse and flipped it on to text him.

_**EZRA**_

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to," Aria offered from the passenger seat as they drove towards Hollis later that week. Ezra, who'd been patiently tapping his fingers against the steering wheel as they sat at a red light looked over at her and shot her a smile, reaching across to give her hand a light squeeze.

"It'll be fun," he replied. "Be forewarned, though, I've never been that artistic. I'll try and protect you from any rebellious clay that may or may not come shooting from my hands."

Aria giggled at his comment and turned to watch the passing street lights and light snow that had started to come down around them. Hopefully they wouldn't be stuck in a storm while they were there. That would just be perfect.

Pulling into the parking lot adjacent to the art building not a moment later, Ezra unbuckled his seat belt and looked up at her questioningly when Aria didn't move. Sighing, he sat back into his seat and fully turned towards her.

"Hey," he said, reaching across to gently caress her cheek. She finally looked at him, making full eye contact, and he could see the reservations in her facial expression. "There's nothing to worry about, alright? Your friends want to get to know me. I don't think I'm a bad guy, Ar. Honestly, the only thing you've got to worry about is them loving me _too_ much."

Aria let out a soft giggle before unbuckling her seat belt. "That's not possible."

Ezra jumped out of the car and rushed around to her side to open her door. Just as she turned to climb out of the vehicle, however, she let out a small gasp. Her hands instantly flew to her stomach and she sucked in a deep breath. Ezra instantly knelt beside her, worry lacing his features. She took a second before flashing him a soothing smile and reaching for one of his hands. Aria gently pressed his palm just to the right of her belly button and Ezra's own breath hitched in his throat as he felt a tiny butterfly like movement. Just as he was about to pull his hand away, a hard kick was sent his way from the unborn child.

"Looks like someone's trying to say hi," he said with a small smile.

"Either that or protesting this art class," Aria giggled. Grabbing her purse, she stood and clasped Ezra's hand in her own. "Come on, before he or she decides it's time to make an appearance."

* * *

"Tell me again how we got roped into this," Toby muttered towards Ezra under his breath. They sat, each at their own pottery wheel, trying unsuccessfully to sculpt a pot out of a wet pile of clay. The only one that seemed to be having any success, surprisingly, was Aria.

"Hey, I heard that," Spencer retorted, flinging a small bit of clay towards her fiancé. She instead hit Ezra's smock and he couldn't help but to laugh at their childish behavior. He turned and caught the small smile Aria had on her face as she too listened to her friends.

"You're the one that suggested a couple's activity, Toby," Spencer continued. "Besides, I thought as a landscaper that you were supposed to be good with your hands. What exactly is it that you're making over there? It looks like a rock."

"Hey!" Toby replied with mock hurt lacing his voice. "This, my lady, is just the early stages of what will surely be the most beautiful vase you've ever seen. Don't judge it until I'm done, thank you very much! And when I suggested a couple's activity, I was thinking more along the lines of bowling, or ultimate frisbee, or basketball... some kind of sport. Not art class!"

Ezra let out a chuckle, turning his attention back to his own work as Spencer and Toby took rounds playfully bickering at each other. His pot, truth be told, wasn't coming out too badly. It wasn't going to be the next great piece of art but it was at least recognizable for the most part. He couldn't say the same about whatever it was that Toby was trying to make.

Aria's pottery wheel came to a stop beside him, causing Ezra to look up at her in confusion. She just smiled before wiping her hands on her apron and standing.

"I need to use the restroom, be right back," she explained. He was left alone with her friends a moment later and Ezra suddenly felt nervous.

"So Ezra…" Spencer started. He let out a deep sigh. Here came the interrogation. "Tell us about you. Aria told us you teach over at Rosewood High?"

Ezra nodded. "I was just hired this year to teach English lit. It's a nice school so I'm really happy I'm there."

"That's great, we all went to Rosewood and it's an awesome school. I'm sure you've experienced the snobby parents, though," Toby laughed. "Most of the people in this town have too much money and trust me, they like to make it known."

Ezra let out his own laugh but before he could respond, the teacher was calling for everyone's attention.

"Alright, everybody. The class is just about over. Whatever you have, bring it to the front so our teaching assistant can bake them in the furnace. You can pick your products up next week."

Ezra sighed, looking down at his pot. It would have to do though he was fairly certain that whatever was planted in it was doomed to grow at an awkward angle thanks to the horrific lean Ezra had forced the pot to take. Glancing over at Aria's station, he shook his head in bemusement. She had long since been done with her pot. It was perfect.

"Just a word of advice, Ezra," Spencer suddenly spoke up from beside him, seeking to end their conversation before Aria came back. He turned to look at her, giving her his full attention. "Aria's… not perfect, ok? Nobody is. So just, you know, take it easy with her. She's had a rough go of it."

Ezra shot her a warm smile, standing to collect his and Aria's pots to bring them to the teaching assistant.

"That's alright," he replied as he walked away. Shooting another smile over his shoulder at her, he continued towards the front of the room. "Perfection is boring."

**So Ezra and Aria finally spent some quality time together and her friends are getting to know him as well. All seems to be smooth sailing for the couple, at least for now lol. What did y'all think? As always, please R&R!**


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

_**EZRA**_

"Are you sure this is such a good idea? It can only be about thirty degrees out here, Ar," Ezra asked worriedly. Aria turned to give him a look that clearly said to stop asking her that. Sometimes he was under the impression that he cared more about her health than she did and that worried him since she was carrying another life.

"It's _fine_, Ezra," she replied with a roll of her eyes. She wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck and shot him a reassuring smile.

Ezra just sighed, hitching Noah further up onto his hip as they walked. For a five year old, he sure was heavy and he was starting to regret offering to carry the little boy when he'd complained of the cold.

Pushing their way through the throngs of people that lined the streets of downtown Rosewood, the three of them made their way towards the town's center where, according to the posters that plastered almost every shop window, there was a holiday festival. It seemed like just about everyone in the tiny town had made their way out that night.

"I'm _coollddd_," Noah whined from Ezra's side. He turned to hide his face next to the warmth radiating off of Ezra's neck and Ezra couldn't help but to wince at the onslaught of his frigid nose. Aria let out a defeated sigh as she reached over and adjusted the snow hat on his little head.

"We won't stay long, Baby," she told him. "We'll get a picture with Santa, see the reindeer and listen to the carolers. Then we'll go home and you can help Ezra decorate the tree."

Noah let out an angry huff but didn't say anything. Ezra ran an understanding hand over the little boy's back, hoping to calm him down.

"How about I buy us a hot chocolate when we get there? That'll warm you up," Ezra asked. At that, Noah picked up his head and shot him a toothy smile, vigorously nodding his head in approval. Ezra smiled back at him and they kept walking.

Ezra never understood why some claimed that the holidays brought out the best in people. Sure, he could see that to a degree, but for the most part, he experienced the exact opposite. People tended to become pushier, more rushed, and stress levels went through the roof with the assault of Christmas shopping or cooking for a Thanksgiving meal.

For these reasons alone, he tried to avoid crowded public venues around the holiday season. He'd made an exception tonight, agreeing to accompany Aria and Noah to this festival, but he was quickly starting to regret it as person after person bumped into them or shot a dirty look their way when they didn't walk fast enough. Ezra made sure to keep a steady eye on both Aria and Noah throughout the walk, every so often touching Aria slightly to affirm that she was still by his side.

Upon arriving at the heart of the festivities, they decided their first stop would be for a picture with Santa. Putting that off until later risked having Noah in an even worse mood than he currently was exhibiting. The line didn't seem too long so they quickly took their places at the end and waited patiently for their turn.

Lifting his head, Noah took in the crowds of people around them and instantly let a frown cover his face. "I wanna go home!" he cried. He began struggling in Ezra's arms, so much so that he almost dropped the child.

"Noah…" Aria sighed. "We just got here, Sweetheart. We'll only stay an hour at most, ok? Please be patient."

Ezra hugged him tighter to his side before slowly lowering the boy to his feet and attaching Noah's hand to his mother's. Kneeling to his level, Ezra reached out to pull the zipper on Noah's parka all the way up to his neck. Just as he was about to back Aria up, a group of teenagers let out a squeal behind them and came rushing over.

"Mr. Fitz! I didn't know you lived in town!"

"Mr. Fitz is this your kid?"

"I didn't know you were married!"

Ezra hesitantly rose to his feet and turned to address the small group of students that had gathered around him. Shooting them a small smile, he nervously wiped his now sweaty palms against the legs of his jeans. Running into students outside of the classroom was never a fun experience. He caught Noah hiding himself behind Aria's leg.

"Merry Christmas," he greeted them. Wrapping an arm around Aria's waist, he pulled her tight to his side before continuing. "We're here to get a picture with Santa and hear the Christmas music. Little Noah isn't feeling too well and he's incredibly shy around people he doesn't know. So…"

The girls got the message loud and clear. They quickly bid farewell to the three of them and took off. Ezra released a sigh of gratitude before turning back towards Noah. He reached out and caressed the boy's head through his wool hat.

"You stay with your Mommy, alright, Buddy? I'm going to go get us that hot chocolate," Ezra told him. Noah nodded slightly and turned to again bury himself against Aria's leg. She shot him a thankful smile and reached for her purse to offer him some money but Ezra quickly shook his head. "It's on me. I'll be right back."

Pushing his way through the crowd, Ezra scanned the nearby booths for any signs of refreshments. He knew quite well of Noah's addiction to sugar so he figured hot chocolate would be a sure way to win him over. He was grateful to be right. Spotting a stand selling Christmas cookies and Hot Cocoa, he changed trajectory and went to fetch the drink. He'd only been standing in line for a moment when someone spoke up behind him.

"You are unbelievable. You know that, right?"

Ezra tensed at the sound of Maggie's voice. He took a deep breath before turning. Standing behind him, she addressed him with a scowl, crossing her arms in displeasure across her chest.

"Hello, Maggie. It's nice to see you-"

"Oh, let's not pretend that we actually care anymore, Ezra," She snapped. Narrowing her eyes at him, she continued, "You break up with me… for her. And then you flaunt it in my face at a public event such as this. So I'll repeat- you are un-freakin'-believable."

Ezra stared at her, unsure of how to respond. Flaunting his relationship with Aria in front of anyone had never been his intention. He hadn't even known Maggie was at the festival. They'd been doing such a good job of avoiding each other, how was he supposed to know he'd run into her here? Ezra ran a hand tiredly through his mop of hair and shifted his weight awkwardly before responding.

"Maggie, I had no idea you'd be here. And I'm not flaunting anything," Ezra started. Suddenly, before he could continue, Maggie's eyes widened and then sparked with a decision. She roughly pushed herself against him and grabbed his face, crashing her lips onto his. Ezra stood there shocked and confused… until he heard Aria behind him.

"Ezra?" she whispered. Ezra ripped his lips from Maggie's and swiftly turned to Aria. She stood just behind him, tightly clutching Noah's hand, and he could see the tears that were quickly gathering in her eyes.

"Aria, it's not what you think," he began. Taking a step towards her, he watched with grief as Aria instantly backed up. She shook her head at him in disbelief and before Ezra could say another word, she was spinning on her heels and disappearing into the crowd.

Ezra turned angrily back to Maggie. "What the hell was that?!"

"I just wanted her to know what it's like to lose your man to another woman," Maggie smirked. "Sorry if I messed up your relationship."

Ezra didn't spare another moment to listen to her sarcasm, instead shooting her a look before turning to find Aria. "You know what's unbelievable," he shot over his shoulder. "You."

Ezra spent the next half hour or so searching high and low for Aria and Noah through the throngs of people crowding the square. His attempts, however, were unsuccessful. After not finding them, he decided to drive to their home. They'd probably caught a cab or something.

When he pulled up in front of the small home not fifteen minutes later, he sighed in relief at seeing the lights on. It appeared they had gone home after all. He sat in his car, staring at the house, for a minute as he pondered his next move. Running a hand through his already messed up hair, he decided not to waste another moment and pushed the car door open, heading for her front door.

Landing a tentative knock against the wood, Ezra couldn't think of the last time he'd knocked before entering. Their relationship was long past this point. The situation, however, was fragile and Ezra didn't think that barging in would be such a good idea. The quiet response that greeted his knocks worried him.

"Come on, Aria," Ezra whispered, staring with apprehension at the door. He knocked a few more times… and waited.

Just as he was about to give up and call it a night, the door slowly opened. Aria stood, tear tracks marking her face, on the other side and looked at him for only a moment before diverting her gaze. Ezra's heart dropped to his feet at the sight. He'd never wanted to hurt her.

"Aria, you have to listen to me," he started, taking a step closer towards her. He reached out and tentatively took her hands. "Maggie forced herself on me. I ran into her and she attacked me."

Aria stared at him for a moment and Ezra got nervous. He hoped she'd speak up soon, the awkward silence between them was killing him. He got his response a moment later when she pulled her hands from his.

"I thought you were different," she whispered. "I've dated a few scum bags in my time and… I thought you were different Ezra. I can't do this. I can't play these games when I have a son and a child on the way."

Ezra stared at her in defeat. It looked like she wasn't hearing anything he had to say. "So what's this mean?" he whispered, fearing her answer.

Aria stood there quietly again for another moment or two. She stared out unseeing at the street behind him. Taking a deep breath, she looked up to finally make eye contact with him before responding.

"Goodbye, Ezra," she whispered. Ezra watched in defeat as she slowly closed the door, affectively closing herself… and her life… off from him.

**Uh oh… looks like Maggie isn't finished wreaking havoc on Ezra's life. What do you think he'll do? Should he fight for Aria or let her come back to him? Let me know your thoughts!**


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

_**EZRA**_

Experiencing the death of someone close to you is supposed to be one of the most unbearable pains that a person can go through. Not having had anyone close to him pass away, Ezra didn't know how true this was. What he did know, however, was the amount of searing agony he felt every day that passed by without Aria and Noah in his life. How had he let the two become so deeply embedded in his life in such a short period of time? How had he gotten so involved in their lives that it hurt this bad?

Every day he came home and would just sit in his car for a moment, staring at the lights shining from the home next to his. Sometimes he'd see a shadow pass behind the curtains and he'd wait on baited breath, anxiously hoping that whoever had just passed by would stop and see him. He'd long since decided not to push Aria. She knew, at least from the few short sentences she'd allowed him to speak, that what happened with Maggie wasn't real. He wasn't sure, then, what was happening to them.

Ezra slumped back against the worn leather cushions of the sofa in his living room and took a long draw from the cold beer resting in his hand. Staring, unfocused, at the dwindling fire in front of him, he ran a hand dejectedly through his hair. The clock resting on the mantle ticked by each second, drawing him further and further into his despair. Without warning, he flung the now empty bottle into the fire and watched with fleeting pleasure as the glass shattered against the brick.

"God, this sucks!" He muttered angrily. Jumping up from the couch, he headed towards the kitchen, aiming to swipe a new drink. A rustling could be heard from the other side of the wall as Ezra entered his kitchen. Before he had time to contemplate it's meaning, the door on the dumbbell waiter flung up.

Noah, tired and sad, looked out at Ezra for a brief minute before climbing into the apartment and quickly reaching up onto his tip toes to shut the door.

"Hey, Buddy," Ezra greeted with hesitation. He glanced towards the door separating the two homes in question. He knew that Aria was keeping Noah from making these trips next door due to their situation and he definitely didn't want to give her any more ammunition to use against him, as much as it killed him not to see the little boy.

"Hi, Eza," Noah greeted, flashing him a small smile. Even his greeting wasn't as joyous as Ezra was used to hearing. "I wanna pay Mario Kart. Let's pay."

Noah didn't wait for Ezra's response before turning and heading for the game console in the living room. Ezra sighed as he watched the child disappear. He could see how much this 'separation' was affecting him and he didn't know what to do. He faltered for only a minute before following Noah.

"I call Yoshi this time," Ezra joked as he sat down on the couch.

Noah sent him a pout before turning back towards the television. "Dat's my payer, Eza!" As soon as the screen loaded, he wasted no time in quickly selecting the character before Ezra had a chance. Ezra just chuckled, Noah was still Noah.

As the races started, Ezra let his mind wander back to Aria. Did she know Noah was over at his place? What was she doing? With his attention elsewhere, Noah was easily able to beat him. This lasted all of about three rounds before the child angrily threw the controller down on the ground and folded his arms across his chest as he shrunk back into the couch cushions.

"You'ze letting me win," he muttered angrily. At only five years of age, Ezra was impressed that Noah took such things seriously. Most children wouldn't even recognize the advantage.

Sighing, Ezra paused the game and turned towards the child. "I'm sorry, Noah. I'm… a little distracted. There's a lot going on right now."

He reached out to ruffle his hair and felt his heart sink when the boy shrunk away from his touch. A few silent moments passed between the two as Ezra was unsure of how to proceed. This situation was awkward for everyone. Just as he'd turned back towards the T.V., intent on starting a new match, he heard a sniffle from Noah's end of the couch. He turned and watched as a few tears streamed down the boy's face.

"Hey," Ezra whispered, pulling Noah to his side. He hugged him tightly and just waited for him to calm down before continuing. "What's going on?"

Noah just shook his head, burying his face into Ezra's side. Sighing dejectedly, Ezra ran a soothing hand up and down his back.

"You can talk to me, Noah. You know that, right?"

Noah was silent for a moment before peering up at Ezra. He roughly wiped away the tear marks on his face. "My mommy cries a lot," he whispered.

If Ezra's heart could sink any more, it did at that comment.

"She won't let me see you and I miss you, Eza," Noah continued. He stared up at Ezra with the saddest eyes he'd ever seen. "Can't you say you'ze sowry? Kiss and make up cuz I miss you."

"I wish it was that easy, Buddy," Ezra tried to explain. "You're mommy and I… we have some adult problems right now that just need… time to get solved. But hey, you want to know something?"

Noah nodded his head eagerly so Ezra continued.

"You will always be my best buddy," he told the child. "Don't tell Hardy."

"You'ze my bess fiend too," Noah whispered.

Flashing him a smile, he hugged Noah tighter to his body and just sighed at the heaviness of this moment. He shouldn't have to deal with the situation between him and Aria. This was their problem not his. One thing he was now certain of, however, was that this conversation with Noah had convinced him that he was done giving her time. She'd have to talk with him sooner or later.

_**ARIA**_

Days had gone by since Aria had last seen Ezra. Christmas and New Year's had passed and they were now free and clear of the holiday season, until Valentine's Day that is. Along with the passing of the holidays was her quickly approaching delivery date. Aria was more nervous now than ever, especially since she no longer had Ezra to help keep her calm.

She'd run into him a few times, mostly outside on her way from collecting the mail, and she knew that Noah had started sneaking over to his place again. Her son had been so depressed lately, that Aria stopped fighting him about seeing Ezra. If seeing him made Noah happy then she'd allow it. Aria, though, wasn't ready to face him. Whether or not he'd reciprocated Maggie's kiss, Aria didn't need any more stress in her life, especially with her baby due any day now.

She sighed as she picked at her salad. Spencer and Toby had graciously offered to take her and Noah out to eat and Aria had been more than happy to accept. Her size made it hard to grocery shop lately and without Ezra's help… food was becoming sparse. She and Noah had honestly been living off of take-out and delivery most nights.

"Aria," Spencer called from across the table. Aria shot her head up and sent an apologetic smile towards her friend. She'd zoned out on whatever conversation they'd been having.

"Sorry," she apologized. "My mind was… elsewhere I guess."

Spencer just shook her head and nudged Toby to flag down a waiter for more water. Aria glanced over at Noah and watched as he made a mess of the spaghetti and meatballs he'd ordered. She let out a halfhearted laugh as she reached over and wiped some sauce from his face.

"So, Noah," Spencer started. "Have you had a chance yet to try out that sled you received for Christmas?"

Noah nodded eagerly. "Eza took me to da park and we payed wit it."

Spencer shot a glance Aria's way. "Ezra took you, huh? I didn't know you guys were still talking with him."

"Noah is," Aria explained quietly. She stared down into her food to avoid Spencer's judgmental gaze. "He's great with him and I… yeah, I still let him see Ezra."

"Ezra is my best friend!" Noah suddenly exclaimed. The entire table stopped eating at the outburst. "He told me so and I miss him. Mommy needs to 'pologize so we can all be togeter again."

Spencer looked over at Aria at that. "Yeah, Aria. Apologize so Ezra can come back. Whatever it is that is holding you back, you need to get over it. That man is perfect for you."

Aria sucked in her breath at Spencer's confirmation of Noah's sentiment. Was she being too harsh on Ezra? The more she thought about why she was so upset with him, the more she came to realize that she was just afraid. She was afraid of not being good enough for him, of offering more than he could handle with two children. Mostly… she was afraid of losing him. Maybe she already had.

**I want to thank everyone for making this my most reviewed/favorited/followed story ever! It means a lot that so many people are enjoying what I'm writing and I hope this story is living up to everything you've all been hoping for. If you like this story, then check out my others and don't be afraid to review on them! (Shamless plug, I know lol) Anyway, sorry for the breakup between Aria and Ezra but what's a good story without some drama? Don't worry, this IS an Ezria story so you just have to keep following along to see how they'll work this out! Again, thanks so much for all the love!**


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

_**EZRA**_

Ezra spent most of his time now days bidding his time until he could talk with Aria. He wanted to wait until the perfect moment, one where she didn't feel pressured into meeting with him and when she'd had a suitable enough time to not be so angry over what had happened. He wasn't sure exactly when that would be, but he would wait. In Ezra's experience, women are skittish creatures. You have to address them in just the right way, at the right time, or else risk running them off completely.

Ezra scribbled down some notes on the planner laid out before him. He was only a week or two away from starting the spring semester and it was finally time to get his lesson plans together. The principle had asked for them a while ago but Ezra couldn't find it in him to actually sit down and plan for the new year, not with everything going on in his life. He decided, however, that maybe it was best to get his mind off of things. He needed to submerge himself in work, in his friends and family… something besides Aria. That was why he was spending a perfectly good Saturday evening surrounded by class lectures and textbooks.

He rifled through a stack of papers, looking for a notebook filled with lesson plan ideas he'd written down in college. After a few unsuccessful moments, he huffed in aggravation and pushed away from his desk. The notebook was probably with the stacks of other books he'd yet to unpack. Walking over to the boxes stacked next to his bookcases, he started peeling open the first one his hands touched.

Ezra sucked in his breath at the sight of worn, burgundy leather adorning the King James Bible that sat atop his college textbooks when he opened the first box. He hesitated a moment before tentatively reaching in and picking up the ancient book. It had belonged to his grandfather, the one person in Ezra's entire family that he had absolutely idolized.

Ezra had been sixteen or seventeen when his grandfather had passed. He'd taken it extremely hard, his grandfather had been the type of man that Ezra himself wanted to become: strong but gentle, courageous but humble, strict but loving. His grandmother, seeing Ezra's pain, had gifted him his grandfather's most precious possession- his bible.

Ezra had yet to open the book in the entire time he'd owned it. Looking at the worn lettering and softly touching the binding, he could see that it was well loved. Many pages, even with the book closed, appeared well read and dog-eared. He'd always been afraid that if he opened the book that the last part of his grandfather, as silly as it may sound, would be lost in a mere few moments. He wanted to savor whatever he had left of him.

Ezra slowly walked back towards the sofa and dropped down onto its plush leather cushions without once tearing his gaze from his grandfather's bible. It was stupid of him not to leaf through it at least once. Maybe there would be some words of wisdom written down that could help with the pain Ezra felt over Aria. He hesitated only a moment before opening the cover.

A quick glance through the pages left Ezra surprised. His grandfather, ever the over anxious student, had always jotted notes in whatever he was reading. His bible, however, was completely bare of any personal attributes. The only thing that affirmed that this book was indeed his was his name, scrawled in messy calligraphy across the back of the front cover.

Ezra was disappointed. It looked like he wouldn't be getting any advice from beyond the grave today. He tossed the book with agitation onto the coffee table. He stood to return to his lesson plans when the glint of something shiny coming from between the pages caught his attention. Ezra picked the book back up and leafed through the pages. He stopped at a page marked by a crumpled gum wrapper. This is what he must have seen. Glancing at the passages, his eyes widened in surprise as he saw that most lines were highlighted in bright yellow. These had to be the only passages in the entire book that were marked.

'_And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually… And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.'_

Ezra smiled slightly as he read that name. How ironic that his grandfather would favor a story featuring a man bearing the same name as Aria's son. Shaking his head, he continued to skim the story.

'_And God said unto Noah, the end of all flesh is to come… make thee an ark, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.'_

The shrill ring of his cell phone from his desk ripped Ezra's attention away from the story. Marking his page with the gum wrapper, he walked over and answered the phone without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" he asked, attempting to straighten out the papers strewn across his desk as he talked.

"Ezra? It's nice to know you're still alive, it's been so long since I last spoke with you," his mother coldly greeted from the other end of the line.

Ezra rolled his eyes, she was always so dramatic. "I'm alive and well, Mom. How are you?"

"I'm fine," his mother answered briskly. "Listen, I will be in town in an hour or so and I'd like to see you. Let's meet for dinner somewhere. Actually, I can pick you up."

"Ok," Ezra answered with confusion. His mother was never one to spend undue time alone with her children. Her philosophy was that time meant money and thus couldn't afford to be wasted. She probably had an agenda for this dinner. "I'll see you when you get here."

Before he had a chance to bid her farewell, his mother had already hung-up. Ezra released a sigh of contempt. This would sure make for an interesting evening.

* * *

The ominous clouds filling the sky outside of the Rosewood Grill only added to Ezra's feelings of doom as he sat with his mother and waited for their food. She always had a way of bringing out the worst in him.

"So Ezra," his mother started, folding her napkin neatly across her lap. He turned towards her at his name and couldn't help but to stare at the boisterous jewelry she was wearing or her finely manicured nails. His mother always valued her appearance. "How is your job going? Any promotions in the near future?"

Ezra rolled his eyes before answering. "It's fine. And no, Mom, this is only my first year. What could I possibly be promoted to?"

"Don't snap at me," she reprimanded, looking at him with a chastising glare. "I was only trying to make conversation. _You're_ the one that decided to get into education when you know perfectly well that you could have gone into business like your father or your brother. There are better ways of making a living rather than babysitting children."

Ezra sat back in his chair and stared at his mother for a moment. He knew she'd never been supportive of his choice in profession, it didn't meet the family standards, but her obtuse way of just speaking her mind about the subject took him by surprise.

"I enjoy what I do and that's all I'll say further on the topic," Ezra answered shortly.

Their waiter chose the perfect time to bring their food, giving Ezra the opportunity to dig into his meal without being further badgered. His mother, on the other hand, had other ideas.

"You could have been extraordinary," she told him. The coldness in her voice caused Ezra to shrink back a few inches in his seat. "Your father, your brother… your grandfather, they did things. We are Fitzgeralds, Ezra. You are meant to be extraordinary, to truly be special. Instead… you're nothing but plain, ordinary, and average. I had higher hopes for you."

So this was what this dinner was about. His mother wanted to make sure he knew of her ongoing disappointment over his life. Ezra decided that this meal was well over so he stood and threw his napkin on the table before turning and tearing his jacket off the back of the seat.

"Where do you think you're going?" his mother asked in surprise. "You will stay and finish this nice dinner that I've bought for you, Ezra. Don't be so dramatic."

Ezra froze in his actions and stared hard at his mother, trying with everything in him to calm down and breathe evenly.

"I'm done here," he replied slowly. "You know nothing about me or my choices in life, Mom. You sit there and pretend to know what's best for me but all you're really doing is being judgmental and critical. I don't need this right now. Thank you for dinner."

With nothing more than a backwards glance, Ezra was out the door.

It took him a couple of minutes of being outside in the cold, damp January air to remember that his mother had driven him to the restaurant. Huffing in aggravation, he sharply turned and started the torturous walk back to his home. There was no way he'd be going back inside that restaurant and asking for a ride. He zipped his jacket all the way up and pushed forward.

Halfway home, the weather decided to have some fun with him and the skies opened up. Even in the middle of the winter, Eastern Pennsylvania could be a bitch. Snow, rain, it didn't matter, the weather was going to suck.

"This is just great," Ezra snapped to himself. He had to be having the worse day of his life. Scratch that, he was having the worse _month _of his life.

By the time he reached his house, Ezra was thoroughly soaked and the rain was showing no sign of letting up any time soon. He made his way to his drive and stopped short at the bright lights shining through Aria's living room window. He'd had enough of this. He'd waited long enough and it was time for answers. She'd either forgive him and they could move on or… he didn't want to think about the other option because in his mind there wasn't one. Wiping the rain from his face, he started towards her place.

_**ARIA**_

"And for forty days the rains kept coming, but Noah, his wife and sons were all safe on the ark he'd built along with the herd of animals. The waters rose and increased across the earth, covering everything in sight and remained for over a hundred and fifty days," Aria read. She pulled the covers further up to Noah's chin as she read him his bedtime story and then ran a hand tiredly through his hair.

"But, Mommy, if der was so much rain how did he pay?" Noah asked softly in confusion. Aria chuckled and leaned down to press a soft kiss to his head.

"He played with the animals and his children on the boat, Sweetheart," Aria answered. She took a moment before continuing with the story. "After the rains had stopped and the Earth was flooded, Noah sent out a dove to find dry land. God had promised to spare Noah and his family and he wanted to get off of their boat. The dove, however, returned with nothing promising of a safe harbor for their vessel. Trying again, Noah waited and finally, the dove returned with an olive branch. Noah could finally reach dry land. God then said to him, 'Never again will I curse the Earth because of humans and never again will I destroy all living creatures.'"

Glancing down towards her son, Aria noticed that he had long since fallen asleep. She pressed another kiss to his mop of hair and rose from the bed. Turning off the lights, she stopped for a moment to listen to the rain pouring outside of his window before turning and gently closing the door. Sighing, she leaned back against it and ran a hand tiredly through her hair. She was exhausted and tired of being pregnant. Just as she was turning for her own bed, a soft rap against her front door caught her attention. Aria burrowed her brows in confusion. Who would be visiting at this time of night?

When Aria answered the door, her confusion slipped away. Ezra stood on the front porch, soaked to his skin and shivering with cold. The mother in her couldn't leave him in that condition so she quickly pulled him inside, not caring for his reason for paying her a visit.

"Aarrriiaa," Ezra started, violently shivering.

"Shh," Aria hushed him. She walked to the linen closet and grabbed him a couple of towels. "Please dry yourself off, Ezra. You're going to catch pneumonia."

Ezra accepted the towels graciously and roughly ran them over his face and hair before turning back towards her. They stood, staring at each other, for what felt like hours before anyone spoke up.

"I miss you," he whispered. The deep sadness etched across every feature of his face told Aria that he was hurting, probably as much as she was. "I can't… I can't do this anymore."

Coming to stand in front of her, Ezra reached for her hands. "I don't _want_ to do this anymore. Please. I need you in my life, Aria. I know I fucked up, ok? I shouldn't have let Maggie even have had the opportunity to attack me like that. But you should know that her kiss meant nothing to me. I'm sorry, for what it's worth, that it happened at all. All I want is you," he finished. His voice was deep and horse, probably from the rain and the torrent of emotions running through him. He stared at her with longing, begging her to end this.

Aria slowly retracted a hand from his grip to brush away a tear. She stared anywhere at him until he reached out and gently caressed her cheek, bringing her eyes back to his.

"I'm sorry too, Ezra," she responded with a whisper. "I know that what happened wasn't real but… my pregnancy hormones got the best of me, I guess. Then my pride took over. I- I need you too."

Those words were all it took for Ezra to pull her flush up against him and to crash his lips down onto hers. Her clothes started to soak through with the wetness of Ezra's own clothes as the pressed against her but she could have cared less. A crack of lightening outside finally pulled them apart and Aria was sure that he could hear the thundering of her heart over the pounding of the rain outside.

"What does this mean?" she asked hesitantly. Ezra smiled down softly at her, reaching to push some stray hair behind her ear.

"It means that we start over," he answered. "And I'm not going anywhere this time."

Every storm has its end. After the dunes have been washed away and the trees have been uprooted… there's a calm. The wind will die down and the sun will poke through the clouds. So take a deep breath and weather what's being thrown your way because there is light at the end of the tunnel. Only in those quiet moments, after the rain has stopped and the rainbows have formed, do we truly know ourselves. We find out exactly how strong we are and who was strong enough to stand beside us through it all.

**Ezra and Aria have finally made up! Sorry for the dramatic, extremely long chapter lol but it seems like everyone liked my last long chapter so I went with it. Now that Aria and Ezra are back together, what's going to happen next? Please read and review as always!**


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

_**ARIA**_

The light snow falling outside of her kitchen window affirmed to Aria that although it was mid-January, winter was just starting. Rain one week had turned into icy hail the next and then into full out thick, wintry flakes that now coated everything in sight. Ezra, ever the gentleman, made sure to keep the walkways shoveled and salted. Not that it matter, he wouldn't so much as let her stand to get her own glass of water, let alone go anywhere outside of this little house.

Aria rubbed her hand absent-mindedly upon her swollen abdomen. She was over this pregnancy. Her doctor told her not to worry, though she was now over a week past due. She'd said that if the baby didn't make an appearance by the end of the month then they'd induce labor but they could wait just a little while longer. Aria wasn't sure that waiting didn't worry her just as much as the actual delivery part did.

Smiling, Aria watched Ezra and Noah through the glass door leading into the backyard. Ezra was tossy little snow balls at him and Noah was running around through the fresh powder as if this was the first snow fall he'd ever experienced. In hindsight, this would probably be one of the first he'd truly remember. She'd heard that children didn't really start forming solid memories until they were four or five and that made her… happy. She wanted Noah to remember always having a father figure in his life. That was assuming that she and Ezra would last.

Aria let out a small sigh and pushed out of her chair, taking a moment to collect her balance before wobbling towards the sink to deposit her now empty tea mug. She and Ezra hadn't had a discussion yet about where this was going. She was assuming from their reconciliation that he was in this as much as she was and she… well she wanted him to stick around for a very, _very _long time.

"Come on now, don't push," Ezra chided with a smile as he and Noah came into the warm house moments later. Noah giggled in response and ran off towards his room to shove out of his wet clothes. Ezra shot another smile Aria's way when he caught sight of her and came over to press a sloppy kiss to her cheek.

"Hey!" She giggled in response, pushing him away playfully. She took in his snow soaked clothes and backed away instantly, her smile slowly fading. Ezra caught her reaction and quickly came closer, pressing her against the counter and pushing his body flush up against hers.

"Something wrong?" he asked innocently. Ezra reached up to frame her jaw as he smiled down at her.

Aria tried to push him away amidst a sudden onslaught of laughter but given her current condition and the fact that Ezra was at least a foot taller, she couldn't even budge him. Ezra smiled wider in response before leaning down and slowly pressing his lips to hers. The sensual way with which he caressed her face as he kissed her shot Aria's heart into overdrive. She slowly wound her hands into the wet mop of black curls fringing the nape of his neck, suddenly uncaring about the state of his clothes.

"Ewww! Dat's gwoss!" Noah shouted at them with a giggle from the kitchen entry way. Aria reluctantly pulled away from Ezra and joined him in his laughter.

Ezra turned with a smile and scooped the little boy up onto his hip. "Let's hope you keep that opinion until you're at least… thirty."

Aria rolled her eyes. Somehow she doubted Noah wouldn't kiss a girl until he was thirty, at least she hoped he didn't wait that long. Letting the boys go back to their playful banter, she turned towards the cabinets and started pulling out pots and pans to cook with.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ezra asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. He sat Noah upon a stool and once again rounded the counter to close the distance separating them.

"I'm going to make dinner, Ezra," Aria replied without hesitation. Ezra instantly took the cooking supplies from her hands and laid them upon the counter. Placing a hand on her lower back, he gently led her towards the nearest seat. Aria rolled her eyes in exhaustion.

"You will do no such thing," he replied. "I, however, have been deemed the next best thing to Guy Fieri so… sit."

"I can cook dinner, Ezra," Aria argued, crossing her arms across her chest while letting a small frown overcome her face. Noah watched the scene as he munched on a cookie he'd found from his stool.

"Well Noah and I can do this, Ar," Ezra responded. "Isn't that right, Bud? We're going to cook dinner for Mommy and maybe if she's good..."

He leaned in closer to Noah with a glint in his eye and whispered, "We'll share that ice cream we bought this morning at the store with her."

Noah's face lit up at the mention of ice cream and he vigorously nodded his head in approval. Ezra shot a smirk Aria's way before rounding the island and picking up where Aria had left off in the dinner preparations. Aria sighed in defeat. It looked like her own son had turned on her... and for some ice cream no less.

* * *

Putting Noah to bed seemed to be a struggle as of lately. As a baby, he'd always gone down fairly easy. He'd nap when asked to and had been sleeping through the night ever since he was only a couple of months old. Lately, however, Aria had to read him more than one story and promise something yummy for breakfast for him to even consider lying down.

She wasn't sure when the shift in his sleeping habits had occurred, exactly, but she was pretty certain it centered around the time she and Ezra had been apart. Noah had apparently taken the separation hard, even subconsciously.

"After Joseph arrived back home with his brothers, he hugged them with every ounce of happiness he had. Even though they had treated him wrongly, he loved them and was very, _very_ happy to finally be home," Aria read. Finishing the story, she closed the book and glanced down at her son. She sighed in disappointment when she saw Noah staring back at her, gently sucking on his thumb. Even at five years of age, he continued to ferociously hold on to the horrible habit.

"Come on, Baby, don't you want to go to sleep for Mommy?" Aria pleaded. She reached forward and pulled Noah's hand from his mouth.

He shook his head in protest and crossed his tiny arms across his chest. "I'm tirsty, Mommy. Can I have sum water?"

Aria sighed but pushed up from the bed and dimmed his lights before turning to fetch his drink. Exiting Noah's bedroom, she ran straight into Ezra who had been hovering in the hallway.

"He still not sleeping?" Ezra asked with concern, holding onto her shoulders as she caught her balance. Aria just shook her head and pulled away to lean against the wall behind her.

"It's like this almost every night now," she answered, running a hand through her already tangled hair. Ezra flashed her a small smile and leaned down to press a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Can I try?" he asked quietly. Aria stared at him in shock for a moment before slowly nodding. What could he do any differently? Ezra ran a thumb lovingly across her cheek and then slowly pushed the door open into Noah's room. Aria, not sure about what he was planning watched from the hallway as he made his way over to the bed and gently sat down.

"Hey, you," Ezra greeted softly. He reached over and smoothed the stray hairs covering Noah's forehead from his face when the little boy turned to look up at him.

"Hi, Eza!" He answered eagerly. He made to sit up but Ezra stopped him with a gentle hand to his shoulder, urging him to lie back down.

"I used to have trouble sleeping when I was a little boy, did you know that?" Ezra asked as he leaned back against the headrest and pulled Noah to his side. Aria could barely see through the darkness when Noah shook his head in response.

"Well I did," he continued. "My mommy used to beg me every night to go to sleep but I just couldn't. I wanted to stay up and play and eat cookies and run around. I had this thought that if I went to sleep, then everyone that was still awake would be having fun without me."

Noah giggled and snuggled further into Ezra's side. "Dat's silly, Eza," he replied quietly. The way he answered so quickly confirmed to Ezra that he was struggling with these exact same dilemmas.

"It was wasn't it?" Ezra chuckled. "But then my daddy… you want to know what he told me?"

The room was quiet a moment and Aria found that she was holding her breath as she listened to Ezra talk to her son. Sucking in a breath, she watched as he ran a hand through Noah's hair and shot her a small smile from across the room before continuing.

"My daddy told me that all little boys have to go to sleep when they're asked or else all the fun times, all the cookies and all of the games that could be played… they all get enjoyed by children who do go to sleep. You see, you can't have fun or have desert or play any games when you're tired. You have to go to sleep to recharge your batteries. And guess what?" Ezra asked, looking down at Noah. "Everyone's waiting to have fun with you until you wake up. You're not going to miss out on anything. So whatcha say? Will you go to sleep so we can play in the morning? I'd hate for you to be all tired and everything…"

Noah wasted no time in nodding his head. "Otay, Eza. I can go ta seep."

"Alright, Buddy," Ezra chuckled. He pressed a kiss to the child's head and then stood up to join Aria in the hallway. "Good night, Noah."

"Night, Eza," Noah called back tiredly. "I wuv you."

"I love you too, Bud. Sweet dreams." Ezra smiled back widely before turning his lights completely off and partly closing the door.

The tears brimming in Aria's eyes were almost too much for her to hold back as Ezra came to stand in front of her. He reached out and caught a stray tear with his thumb, staring at her in confusion. Without warning, Aria threw herself at him, crashing her lips onto his and eagerly pressing him against the nearest wall. Her son loved him and she was fairly certain that she did too. Those tender moments Ezra had shared with Noah… they confirmed what Aria already knew. Ezra was in this just as much as she was and she couldn't wait to finally start living again.

**I'm terribly sorry for the long delay in updating. I've been two states away for work and haven't had an opportunity until now to write. Anyway, please read and review! I have this story mapped out for 25 chapters (that's a trend of mine if you haven't noticed lol) but after writing this chapter… there may or may not be more lol. Let me know what you all think!**


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

_**EZRA**_

Breathing slowly, he counted each passing second. The ticking of the clock hanging on a wall somewhere behind him felt like pure agony and the onslaught of white snow pelting the floor to ceiling windows directly opposite of where he sat added to his feelings of despair. Ezra collapsed his head into his hands and stared at the gleaming, bright white floor beneath his feet.

'One Mississippi,' he mentally counted out, matching the rhythm of his breaths to the tempo of his counting.

He could make it through this, he just had to keep breathing.

'Two Mississippi.'

"Sir?"

Ezra shot his head up, meeting the concerned gaze of the approaching doctor. Jumping to his feet, he ran a hand roughly across his face in an attempt to erase the remaining tear tracks that lined his cheeks. He took in a shaky breath and finally addressed the attending.

"Is she alright? Where is she? Can I see her?"

The ambush of questions thrown at the doctor took her by surprise. She stood there for a moment before answering, reaching forward to lay a calming hand on Ezra's forearm.

"We did everything we could…"

**12 HOURS BEFORE…**

_**ARIA**_

"So do you think I should lead with 'It's been a pleasure serving as your graduate student president' or 'I hope you all use this very expensive, but very useless degree, to your greatest abilities'," Spencer asked from her perch on the couch next to Aria.

Aria giggled as she continued to flip through the channels on the television.

"I think the first one is a better start, Spenc. You don't want to get kicked out of the university the day of your graduation."

Spencer just shrugged but turned to jot down some notes on the pad of paper in her lap. Even though it was only January, she was already preparing her commencement speech for the graduate student body. Aria was sure she'd be giving one so it didn't seem like a complete waste of time.

"How long are Ezra and Noah going to be out? I heard on the radio on the way over that there's a nasty snow storm due to come through this evening," Spencer stated. She glanced over at Aria to see her scrunch her brow in concern.

"They should be back within the hour I think. They only went out for a few groceries," Aria answered. Glancing towards the clock over her mantle she noted that it was just past eleven in the morning. They should be back well before any storm rolled through.

Feeling an urgent pressure on her bladder, Aria reluctantly made to stand from the couch and grimaced at the amount of energy it took to do so. Everything in her suddenly ached.

"You alright?" Spencer asked, not looking up from the pad of paper in her hands.

"Yeah, I just have to pee… again," Aria answered with a huff. She turned towards the bathroom and slowly, using everything she came across for support, made her way into the room. She closed the door behind her and sighed in relief when she was finally able to sit down again.

Suddenly, something felt wrong. Glancing down, Aria's breath caught in her throat.

"Spenc?" Aria called out with fright. She tried to control her erratic breathing as she gripped the vanity counter next to the toilet where she sat.

Spencer wasted no time in barreling into the bathroom upon hearing Aria's cry.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Aria, unable to tear her eyes from the panties pooled at her feet looked up at Spencer with complete fear. She shook her head and slowly motioned to the article of clothing. Spencer sucked in her own breath as she saw the wet underwear.

"Aria…" Spencer started slowly. "I think we need to get to the hospital-"

"No," Aria cut her off. "I can't go there without my son. Or without Ezra. I need them. What if I lose the baby? What if there's something seriously wrong?"

Spencer rushed forward and knelt at Aria's feet, taking her hands in one of hers as she dug her phone out of her pocket. "There's no time to be thinking like that, ok? You're going to be fine. The baby is fine. They'll meet us there, I'm going to call Ezra and then pull the car around. Ok?"

Aria nodded, tears spilling down her face.

"Ok," she whispered. "Let's go."

**11 HOURS BEFORE…**

_**EZRA**_

"You don't need another box of Cheez-Itz, Noah," Ezra chuckled. He took the box from the boy's hand and replaced it on the shelf, not missing the frown that covered his face.

"But I _like_ Teez-Itz, Eza!" Noah pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. They engaged in a staring contest across the shopping cart but Ezra ultimately won as Noah sat down in the cart in defeat. "Fine."

They'd been shopping for over an hour now and Ezra was ready to go home. He had a great lunch and dinner planned for the three of them but that would require that he start cooking soon so he was eager to leave.

"Why don't we call and see if your Mommy needs anything else before we leave?" Ezra asked, hoping to cheer Noah up. The mention of Aria seemed to do the trick as Noah instantly lit up.

Ezra shot him a smile before digging in his pocket to retrieve his phone. He cursed after a moment when he clicked on the power button, multiple times, and nothing happened. It looked like his phone had died, he'd probably forgotten to charge it the night before.

"We'll see her in a few minutes, Bud. My phone's not working," Ezra explained. Seeing that Noah was about to go into hysterics, Ezra quickly jumped into action. "You know what, we do need another box of Cheez-Itz. Go ahead and grab them."

Noah smiled in triumph and grabbed the box off the shelf. Sighing in defeat, Ezra continued to push the cart further down the aisle. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

By the time they made it home, another hour had passed. People were starting to get word of the storm about to pass through and were lining the streets to make runs to the grocery store or to leave work early. The traffic was horrendous.

Pulling into the drive, Ezra burrowed his brows in confusion. Spencer's car was gone. Not wanting to leave Aria by herself, he'd asked her friend to stay with her while he and Noah ran to the store. Where had she gone?

He quickly climbed out of the car and opened the back door, unbuckling Noah from his car seat and pulling him onto his hip. He momentarily forgot about the groceries as he walked towards the house. Something was wrong, he could feel it.

"Aria?" Ezra called when he walked through the front door a minute later. "Spencer?"

When no one answered his calls he instantly started to worry. Where were they? He first checked the living room and seeing no one in there, he headed for the kitchen.

"Mommy?" Noah called out, now getting just as upset as he'd been in the store. Ezra ran a soothing hand over his back in an attempt to keep him calm. He didn't need Noah collapsing into hysterics again.

Ezra and Noah walked into the kitchen and quickly scanned the room. No one was there. A bright yellow legal pad on the counter, however, caught his attention. He walked over and instantly picked it up. It took him less than a second to recognize Spencer's elegant scrawls.

_Ezra, Aria and I have headed to the hospital. Meet us there. Tried to call but your phone went straight to voicemail. – Spencer_

Throwing the pad of paper back onto the counter, Ezra spun on his feet and quickly made his way out the front door.

**9 HOURS BEFORE…**

_**ARIA**_

Aria groaned in pain, a fine sheen of sweat covering her now exhausted body. She collapsed against the pillows behind her as another wave of contractions passed.

"You're doing just fine, Ms. Montgomery," the nurse said soothingly. She jotted a few notes down and shot Aria a calming smile before leaving the room.

Aria turned to Spencer. "Where are they, Spencer? Did you try calling him again?"

Spencer nodded and turned to hand Aria a few ice chips to suck on. "It keeps going straight to voicemail, Ar. His phone is either dead or turned off. Don't worry, though, they'll get my note as soon as they get home and then they'll come straight here."

Aria felt tears well in her eyes, whether it was because of her erratic hormones right now or the stress of the situation, she couldn't tell. All she knew was that she needed her boys there with her… now.

**8 HOURS BEFORE…**

_**EZRA**_

Rushing through the hospital's front doors, Ezra hitched Noah further up onto his side and looked around frantically for someone who could help him locate Aria's room. Spotting a help desk, he ran over.

"Can I help you, Sir?" The orderly asked calmly.

"Yes, I need to find out what room Aria Montgomery is in please," Ezra asked in a rush. He ran a hand through his hair as he waited for the elderly woman to locate the information on the computer. One slow click after another had Ezra almost jumping over the desk to find out the information for himself.

"Room 612," she answered after an agonizing couple of minutes. Ezra sighed in relief and turned to run toward the elevators.

"Eza?" Noah asked, pulling at Ezra's collar to get his attention.

Ezra turned to look at the little boy in his arms as the elevator arrived and the boarded to patiently ride up to the maternity ward. "Yeah, Buddy?"

"Iz da baby coming?" Noah asked quietly. Ezra smiled and pressed a kiss to Noah's forehead.

"I hope so, Buddy. I really do," Ezra answered. He could see how drained Aria was recently and he knew she was ready to give birth. He wanted this to be over as much as she did. Not knowing what was exactly happening, however, was tearing him apart. The second the elevator doors opened, Ezra flew out.

"Try calling him again," Ezra heard Aria plead when he entered her room moments later. Her eyes snapped to his and tears instantly ran down her face when Ezra dropped Noah in Spencer's lap and rushed over to her.

"Are you alright?" He asked with worry. Smoothing the hair out of her face, he gave her a once over, checking for any injuries. Aria nodded in response, reaching up to brush away her erratic tears.

"I'm ok, Ezra," She answered. Turning to Noah, she reached out to grab his little hand and flashed him a smile. "Hi, Baby."

"Hi, Mommy!" Noah greeted. He was a million times calmer now that he could see his mother. Ezra laughed at the change in attitude.

"Ok, Ms. Montgomery. We need to check your progress," the doctor announced as she walked into the room. She stopped short when she caught sight of Aria's new visitors. "Hello, you must be the father."

Ezra, accepting the hand the doctor held out, made to correct her but Aria cut him off.

"Is the baby alright? It's already been a couple of hours."

"This is perfectly normal, especially for your first child. Delivery can take a while." The doctor smiled as she snapped on some gloves and sat down on a stool at the foot of the bed. Spencer, seeing what was about to happen, stood with Noah and headed for the door.

"We'll be back. Let's go get a juice from the cafeteria, Noah," Spencer offered. Noah nodded happily and they disappeared out of the room.

Ezra looked questioningly at Aria. He wasn't sure he should be here for this. It was very… intimate. His worries, however, were wiped away when Aria grabbed his hand and flashed him a small smile.

"Don't go, please," she asked quietly. Ezra smiled down and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. Lifting her hand to his mouth, he pressed a quick kiss to her fingers.

"I'm not going anywhere," he replied.

* * *

Hours passed as Aria laid in agony in her hospital bed. Ezra was quick to wipe the sweat from her forehead or to grab water for her when she looked thirsty. Not too long after dinner, they heard the winds pick up outside of the hospital and looked out to see the snow pounding against the window. Looking worriedly towards Noah who was asleep on the small couch against the wall, Ezra took a deep breath and once again sat down on Aria's bed.

"Maybe Spencer should take him home, Ar," Ezra offered gently. He knew Aria wanted her son there with her but if the weather was going to get as bad as the news forecasted, he thought it might be best if Noah wasn't trapped there with them. Spencer nodded her head from her seat next to the bed.

"I can take him home and stay with him," she offered. "We will come back first thing in the morning. This looks like it might take a while longer anyway."

Aria hesitated and Ezra could see the torrent of emotions running through her. After a few lengthy minutes, she slowly nodded her head.

"Yeah, alright," she agreed. Spencer stood and pulled her jacket on. "But we'll call you every half hour to check in, ok?"

Spencer rolled her eyes and gently picked up Noah, grimacing at his weight. "You're going to be fine, Ar. We'll be back soon."

Turning towards Ezra, she shot him an unwavering, pointed look. "Take care of her. Don't leave her side for a minute."

Ezra nodded in agreement. There was no way he'd be going anywhere.

* * *

It was just before eleven when Ezra nodded off. The constant hum of hospital machinery lulled him into a quick nap as he sat in the seat Spencer had vacated, his hand entwined with Aria's. Just as he felt his chin touch his chest, Aria let out a piercing wail.

Ezra shot straight up in his seat and reached over to cup her cheek.

"It's alright, Ar," He said soothingly. Aria shook her head in panic, something was different.

"Ezra," she panted, the panic shining clear in her eyes. "Call the nurse. There's something wrong."

Just as she said that, the monitors went crazy. Ezra didn't have time to reach for her call button before an orderly was rushing into the room. Seeing the monitors, the nurse rushed to the phone and dialed Aria's doctor.

"Doctor Peterson? The baby's stats have just dropped. You need to get up here now."

Ezra's heart plummeted.

"What does that mean? Is the baby alright?" Ezra shot out. The nurse didn't answer. This was not good.

The doctor ran into the room minutes later and seeing the computer screens, instantly started strapping on a gown and gloves. She pulled Aria's chart from the wall and made to start unplugging her non-portable lines. Glancing towards Ezra, she nudged him slightly to start pushing him out of the way.

"Sir, you're going to have to go to the waiting room. Something's wrong here and we need to rush her into surgery. _Now_."

Ezra shook his head. He couldn't leave Aria. She looked at him with pure panic from the bed and cried in agony as another set of contractions hit her. Ezra knew the delivery shouldn't have taken this long. She should have had this baby hours ago. Scratch that, _weeks_ ago when her actual due date had been.

Before he had time to think about arguing with the doctor, Aria was being wheeled out of the room and towards the nearest OR. Ezra made to follow but a nurse quickly intercepted him.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but you can't follow them," she explained quickly. "Please, take a seat in the waiting room and sit patiently. Someone will be by shortly to update you."

With that they were gone.

Ezra stood there in what felt like a trance. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't lose her. Not when he had finally gotten her back. Tears started pouring down his face. Someone pushed by him on their way to another room and that seemed to knock him out of his haze. Stumbling back he decided to follow the orderly's advice and headed for the waiting room.

**PRESENT...**

Breathing slowly, he counted each passing second. The ticking of the clock hanging on a wall somewhere behind him felt like pure agony and the onslaught of white snow pelting the floor to ceiling mirrors directly opposite of where he sat added to his feelings of despair. Ezra collapsed his head into his hands and stared at the gleaming, bright white floor beneath his feet.

'One Mississippi,' he mentally counted out, matching the rhythm of his breaths to the tempo of his counting.

He could make it through this, he just had to keep breathing.

...

'Two Mississippi.'

...

"Sir?"

Ezra shot his head up, meeting the concerned gaze of the approaching doctor. Jumping to his feet, he ran a hand roughly across his face in an attempt to erase the remaining tear tracks that lined his cheeks. He took in a shaky breath and finally addressed the attending.

"Is she alright? Where is she? Can I see her?"

The ambush of questions thrown at the doctor took her by surprise. She stood there for a moment before answering, reaching forward to lay a calming hand on Ezra's forearm.

"We did everything we could…"

...

'Three Mississippi.'

**Cliff hanger, sorry lol. Aria's in some serious trouble and Ezra doesn't know what's going on. Will both her and the baby make it out of this alive? A quick note based on previous reviews: I'm sorry for the confusion with my note on the last chapter. I didn't mean that I'm going to abandon this story. I will finish it. I've never left a story unfinished and never will. I hate it when people do that so I promise to never put my readers through that agony. All I was saying was that I have it planned out for 24 chapters plus an epilogue. I may write a chapter or two more though, we'll see how it goes. Anyway, because I was mean in taking so long to update I made time to write this chapter so I could post it as soon as possible. Hope you enjoyed!**


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

_Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me- Psalm 23:4_

_**EZRA**_

Ezra remembered once, right after his grandfather had passed away, feeling this kind of pain. This was the sort of anguish that tore at every cell in your body. One that demanded to be heard, to be felt. People don't know how to live with pain that tremendous so we close ourselves off. We go into self-preservation mode until we are strong enough to keep on living with it. The pain, you see, never really goes away. It just becomes bearable.

The second time he felt this sort of agony was when Aria had left him. She was his forever, he now knew that, because without her… he felt like giving up. He felt like throwing in the towel. Living with that pain again, it wasn't going to be an option for him. Therefore, when the doctor approached him and placed a comforting hand on Ezra's arm, he instantly went into denial. Whatever she was about to tell him, whatever the news, Aria _had_ to be ok. Ezra wasn't sure he'd make it if she wasn't.

"We did everything we could," she started, pausing at the vacant look filling Ezra's face. Taking a deep breath she motioned towards the chairs behind him. "Please, sit down for a moment."

Ezra collapsed into the seat he'd just vacated, unable to do anything else than follow simple orders. "Tell me she's alive," he whispered hoarsely. He gathered the courage to finally look up at the doctor. She appeared drained, like she'd run a marathon and only just finished. Ezra didn't take comfort in this.

"She's alive," the doctor responded. Taking a deep breath she continued. "The baby's alive as well. There were… complications."

Ezra focused on the fact that Aria was alive, sitting up straighter in his chair so that he could properly hear what else the doctor had to tell him. "Complications?"

She nodded. "At some point this evening, the baby flipped positions in Aria's uterus. We missed it during our evaluations so it must have been recently. In doing so, however, the umbilical cord got wrapped around her neck, cutting off her oxygen supply and forcing the baby into fetal distress. We had to perform an emergency C-section to extract her. She is experiencing a little difficulty breathing so she's been taken to the NICU for monitoring. I expect that she'll be fine, though."

'_She said she,'_ Ezra thought to himself. That meant the baby was a girl.

"I'm glad she's ok," Ezra responded with a small smile. Even though Aria's status was still unknown, he couldn't help but to be grateful that the baby had survived and would be alright. "How's Aria? Can I see her yet?"

The doctor paused and Ezra instantly started to assume the worse. Seeing the change in his demeanor at her hesitation, the doctor quickly went on to explain what was going on with Aria.

"During the surgery, Aria started hemorrhaging. We tried to stop the bleeding but there was too much. We had to do an urgent hysterectomy."

Ezra stilled in his seat, his breathing caught in his throat. "She'll never be able to have any more children?"

The doctor shook her head. "I'm sorry but we had no other choice, there was too much damage and the risk to Aria's life was too great. The stress on her heart was through the roof and her vitals were dropping intensely fast. These things sometimes happen and we're often given no warning, I'm so sorry," she explained with regret. "She's in recovery now but should be waking up shortly. As soon as she is returned to her room, I'll have the nurses come and find you."

Ezra just nodded, not even making to stand and thank the doctor for all she did when she rose to leave. He stared blankly out at the snow storm raging outside. He felt wiped, drained clean. Thank God Spencer had taken Noah home. He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep it together if the little boy was still there.

Taking a deep breath, he collapsed further into his seat. Aria was alive, that was all that mattered.

* * *

The trance that Ezra had been in ever since Aria had been taken into surgery had slowly morphed into insane worry and constant pacing. He could do nothing but think about her, about the baby. There was nothing he could do to make any of this better and that killed him. He knew that when Aria woke up she would be devastated by the fact that she could have no more children. Ezra, therefore, needed to get it together before then so that he could be there for her.

His constant pacing started earning him a few dirty glares from other visitors waiting in the small room. He decided to go for a walk around the hospital to relieve them. It was late, he knew that, but if he didn't keep moving he feared he might go crazy with anxiety.

Walking through the desolate halls, he blindly just kept putting one foot in front of the other. He didn't know where he was going; hell, he didn't know how to even get to the cafeteria. His walking, however, helped… so that's what he did.

The mellow lights shining from beyond a wall of glass caught his attention when Ezra reached the end of the hallway and rounded the corner. There was a calmness radiating from the area that drew him in like a bee to honey. Standing in front of the glass windows, he stared in at the rows of bassinets and new born babies. He must have found the NICU as many of the infants were hooked up to monitors or under warming lights. He felt a tear leak down his face at the sight. These children didn't deserve this. They'd only just entered this cruel, cruel world and already were fighting for their lives. Taking a deep breath, he scanned the rows, searching for the one bearing Aria's name.

"She's the third one in from the left wall," a voice informed him softly from behind. He turned and caught sight of one of Aria's nurses. He hesitantly smiled at her in thanks, unsure exactly of what to say.

"Would you like to see her?" the nurse asked.

Ezra sucked in a breath at the simple question. Did he? Was it right for him to meet Aria's daughter before she did? The nurse shot him a small smile in understanding, nodding her head towards the door.

"Come on. I think you two should meet."

She didn't give Ezra a chance to decline the offer before turning and heading into the nursery. Ezra stood still for a moment, unsure if he should follow or not. He quickly shook the feeling of uncertainty away and followed her in. Aria would want him to check on her baby, especially since she couldn't do it herself.

The silence enveloping the small room was nothing like the silence Ezra had experienced in the hallway. It was warm, nurturing and almost serene. Ezra couldn't help but to look around in awe.

"She's attached to a breathing monitor so I'm afraid you won't be able to hold her for long," the nurse told him. Ezra stopped short at her statement.

"Oh, I don't think… I shouldn't hold her first," Ezra stuttered out. "I mean… her mother, she should get that honor."

The nurse once again smiled at him as she led him over to the appropriate bassinet. Ezra followed her over and took a deep breath before gazing down at the newborn baby.

Not knowing what Conner looked like, Ezra could see nothing but Aria in the baby's features. She was absolutely breath taking. From her dark brown curls to her delicate, almost porcelain-like features, the infant was… perfect. Ezra hesitantly reached out a finger towards the child and watched with undisguised awe as her tiny hand instantly latched onto him. She had a strong grip for such a tiny person.

"I'll give you a few minutes alone with her," the nurse said quietly. Ezra suddenly became nervous the moment she left the room. He laughed quietly to himself. He was intimidated by a child that was only a few hours old.

Staring down at the baby, Ezra again felt tears well in his eyes. This was a part of Aria, someone she had been attached to for over nine months now and she wasn't able to be there with him to meet her. When she was able to finally see the baby, would she even be happy given the circumstances? Ezra hoped she would be. The child deserved her mother.

"Your Mommy is going to love you," Ezra whispered with certainty, running a finger from his free hand down the baby's cheek. The baby looked up and Ezra swore he saw her smile. "You really know how to make an entrance, don't you?"

The baby gurgled a bit, staring in his general direction while probably wondering who this strange man was. Ezra couldn't help but to smile down at her. She suddenly started reaching for him and whimpering and Ezra felt panic start to rise in his chest. He'd never had to take care of a baby so he wasn't sure what to do.

"Hey, there. Come on, please don't cry," Ezra whispered. He ran a hand soothingly over the child's tiny head. Faltering for a moment, he glanced around before smiling down at her and carefully sliding his hands underneath her little body. "Don't tell your Mommy about this, ok? It'll be our secret."

Cradling the child to his chest, he swayed a bit and whispered soothing noises until the baby calmed down. Ezra released a sigh of relief. He turned to gaze down at her and was once again caught with awe by the child's beauty. She looked exactly how he imagined Aria looked when she was born. His breath caught in his throat.

"I think I'm already in love with you," he whispered. He paused for a minute before continuing. "I haven't told your mommy that yet so you must be one extremely important little girl. Again, don't let her know I told you that first. She might be sad. You know who else loves you, though? Your brother, Noah. You haven't met him yet but I know you two are going to be best friends."

The nurse walked into the nursery then, interrupting Ezra's conversation with the child. She smiled when she saw him cradling the baby and stopped to fold her hands over her chest, giving him a knowing look.

"You couldn't help yourself, could you?"

"I'm sorry, she started crying and I didn't know…"

The nurse smiled in understanding as she walked over and took the baby from Ezra's arms. Replacing her in the bassinet and checking all of her vitals, she looked back up at him with a soft smile.

"It's probably time that she rest. You can come back in the morning, though."

Ezra nodded and turned to leave the room. The moment he walked out into the hallway, he leaned back heavily against the wall and ran a hand tiredly through his mess of hair. His declaration of love to a child he'd only just met surprised him. It had come out so easily, as if he'd be saying it to her every day for the rest of his life. Why hadn't he told Aria the same thing? He knew he was in love with her, that wasn't a question. He then made a vow to himself. The moment she woke, he'd tell her. He needed to be there for her and that was where he would start.

**I hope I clearly explained everything that is going on with Aria. Ezra has been able to meet the baby and seems to finally be pulling it together. How do you think Aria's going to react when she wakes up? Thank you all for consistently reviewing on this story, it has by far become the most popular story I've written yet. I appreciate every single one of you!**


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY ONE**

_**ARIA**_

The first thing Aria felt when she woke up was fear. She was blindsided with the intense anxiety of not knowing what was going on or what had happened. She threw her head from side to side, furiously blinking in an attempt to clear her vision and to understand where she was. The first thing she recognized was the heart monitor next to her bed and that's when it all hit her.

The pregnancy. The labor. The feeling of absolute dread as something went terribly wrong. The fear etched across Ezra's face when she'd been wheeled away. Everything came storming back.

The heart monitor suddenly started to pick up its pace as Aria began to panic. Where was her baby? Where was Ezra? What had happened?

"Hey, there. Calm down, Honey," a nurse told her soothingly as she came into the room and started to take Aria's vitals. "Welcome back. How are you feeling?"

Aria stared at her groggily for a minute. How was she feeling? That was the least of her concerns right now.

"Where's my baby?" Aria asked hoarsely. She grimaced at how dry her throat was.

The nurse wrote a few things down on her clipboard before answering Aria's question. "Your baby is doing just fine, don't worry. What I'm concerned about, though, is you. So again, how are you feeling?"

"I'm a little sore," Aria admitted after a moment. Everything seemed to ache. Though nothing was unbearable, she just felt… worn. "What happened? Is Ezra still here?"

The nurse smiled at her as she elevated Aria's bed into a sitting position. "The doctor will be in shortly to explain everything, Dear. And the young man who's been with you all night hasn't left this floor. We caught him trying to sneak in a half hour or so ago but he's in the waiting room now. Would you like me to go and fetch him?"

Aria instantly nodded and the nurse again smiled at her before turning and leaving to go find Ezra.

Aria sighed with frustration and collapsed back into the bed. She felt the urgent need to see her baby, she needed to affirm that he or she was alright. Wrapping her hands around her abdomen, Aria suddenly felt empty. She'd been carrying another life around for nine months and now they were gone. She didn't like the feeling.

"Oh, thank God you're awake," Ezra said when he entered her room. He wasted no time in closing the distance separating them. Sitting down gently on the edge of her bed, Ezra reached forward to cradle her face in his hands and then crashed his lips onto hers. He kissed her as if he'd never see her again and Aria felt the blood instantly rush to her face.

Pulling back after a moment, she reached forward to brush the stray curls away from his face. She took a second to study him and her attention immediately was pulled to the dark circles under his eyes and the creases lining his forehead. He looked as if he'd aged ten years. Aria felt tears well in her eyes at the sight.

"Ezra," she whispered, her voice hitching in her throat with the abrupt onslaught of emotions. She suddenly couldn't control the torrent of tears that streamed down her cheeks. Ezra instantly pulled her to his chest and cradled her head as she drenched the space between his neck and shoulders with tears. Aria wasn't sure where these emotions were coming from but she would chalk it up to post-labor hormones.

"Hey, shhh. Come on now," Ezra whispered softly. He rocked her gently for a few moments, only pulling back slightly when Aria seemed to calm down. Running his thumb under her eyes to catch any leftover tears, he smiled down through his own wet eyes at her and again leaned in to press a soft, tender kiss to her mouth.

Aria reached for the box of tissues on the table beside her bed when they eventually pulled away for air. Handing him the box, she dabbed at her eyes and took a deep breath to collect herself before attempting to talk.

"What… what happened?" Aria asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Ezra shook his head at her question, quickly becoming interested in the flurry of snow still raging outside her window. "I think- I think we should wait for the doctor, Ar. She'd do a better job than me at explaining everything."

Aria started to panic. "I want to hear what happened from _you_, Ezra. Please. I can't- I can't-"

Sensing that the situation was quickly escalating out of control, Ezra did the only thing he knew that would calm her down. He kissed her. He kept kissing her until Aria pulled herself out of the shock and slowly returned the gesture. When he felt she was finally calm enough, he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, slowly opening his eyes to stare into her grief stricken ones.

"I love you," he whispered without thinking. Aria sucked in her breath; she certainly hadn't been expecting that.

"I- what?" she responded, still in a daze. Ezra just smiled, reaching forward to caress her face as he continued to stare at her.

"I love you," he repeated, this time much firmer and more confidently. The smile slowly faded from his face. "You need to know that because… because you're going to hear some things that aren't going to be easy to hear, Aria. But… I love you and I will be here for you. Ok?"

"Ok…" Aria answered back with a whisper. If she hadn't been worried before she certainly was now.

Ezra took a deep breath before continuing. He needed to get this all out at once, like ripping off a band-aid. "Your baby is ok. The umbilical cord was wrapped around their neck so the doctor had to perform a C-section. You started to bleed out on the table and she was forced to perform… an emergent hysterectomy."

Aria felt as if her heart had literally stopped. She sucked in her breath and instantly backed away from him.

"No," she whispered, her hand once again going to her abdomen. She vigorously shook her head in denial, her breathing hitching into hyperventilation. "No, that can't be true. I- I'm too young for that. It can't be true."

Ezra watched helplessly as Aria seemed to crumble in the bed. She let a wail parallel to one a mortally wounded animal might release and then the tears started again. Ezra felt his own start to make their way down his face as he reached out for her. Aria recoiled away from his touch but Ezra didn't take it personally. She was hurting right now and he needed to just be there for her. Some wounds have a lingering pain, you just have to ride it out. You fight through it and just… keep breathing.

_**EZRA**_

It took most of the night and into the early hours of the next morning for Aria to work through her mental breakdown. Ezra never once left her side. When the doctor came by to explain what had happened, in detail, she sat there as if in a trance. Ezra knew the feeling all too well as he'd been in the same comatose state for most of her surgery. He called Spencer to explain what was going on and pleaded with her to stay with Noah. She reluctantly agreed and ordered that he call with updates.

Aria eventually let him start to help her. It happened unexpectedly, just as he'd stood to go use the restroom, she grabbed his hand and looked up at him, not needing to say a word. Ezra instantly sat down on the bed and pulled her tight to his side. Pressing a number of soft kisses into her hair, he rocked her and together they rode through the waves of grief together. A nurse who had come to check in on Aria eventually broke their moment.

"The doctor says that you're doing very well, Ms. Montogomery," she said, unstrapping a blood pressure cuff. "You haven't yet met your baby. Would you like to?"

Aria stared off into the distance, not answering her. Ezra let out a deep sigh and turned towards her.

"Can you give us a moment, please?"

The nurse nodded and made her way from the room. Turning towards Aria, Ezra ran a soothing hand through her hair and reached forward to turn her chin so that she could look up at him.

"Aria… you should see the baby," Ezra started hesitantly. "You survived. Your child survived. The circumstances may suck but you should still meet your baby."

A few tears leaked from Aria's eyes and she turned to hug a pillow to her chest, staring again out the windows to her right. After a few silent moments, she finally spoke up.

"Is the baby a boy or girl?" she whispered, still not making eye contact.

"She's a little girl," Ezra answered, running a hand down her back. Aria took a deep breath and finally turned towards him, a small smile evident through the tear tracks lining her face.

"I was hoping I'd have a girl," she said quietly. "Noah's enough of a boy to last me a lifetime."

Ezra let out a soft laugh and leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her forehead. "Would you like to see her?"

Aria nodded slowly and Ezra called the nurse to bring the child. As much as Aria was hurting, he knew that seeing that little girl would help. After all, she'd helped him through this too.

No more than fifteen minutes later, the nurse they'd chased off earlier was pushing a basinet into Aria's room. Ezra heard her suck in her breath in anticipation of finally meeting her daughter and couldn't help but to smile. He'd had a similar reaction.

"Here we go, little one. Time to meet your Mommy," the nursed cooed as she gently reached into the crib and picked up the child. Walking over to Aria, Ezra moved off the bed so that Aria could have more space and watched as the nurse carefully placed the infant into Aria's arms.

"I'll give you three some time alone," the nurse said quickly. She turned to leave the room but Ezra couldn't tear his eyes from the pair on the bed. Aria appeared to have momentarily forgotten about her current medical issues as she stared down in loving awe at her daughter.

"She's perfect," Aria whispered, reaching to run her fingers over the little girl's soft curls.

"She is," Ezra affirmed, smiling broadly at the sight. "And she's just as beautiful as her Mommy."

Aria quietly giggled and let her own wide smile overtake her face at his words. Ezra knew he could be extremely sappy, he'd proven that on multiple occasions with her, but he knew that Aria ultimately loved it.

"Hi there, Princess," she greeted quietly. "I'm your Mommy. I'm so happy to finally meet you. And you see this man over here? That's your Daddy, for all intents and purposes. I know you're going to love him just as much as I do."

Ezra sucked in his breath at Aria's introduction of him. He hadn't been sure she would want him to take on that role, but he was definitely more than happy to do so. Her declaration of love didn't go unnoticed either. Aria glanced up at him and shot him a smile, relieving any nerves he had about their current situation. Ezra would be there for the long haul, might as well get used to the label.

"You are worth everything I've had to go through," Aria softly told the little girl. A tear leaked from her eye but she quickly reached up to brush it away. Turning towards Ezra, she held the infant up a little higher so that he could get a good look at her.

"I assume you've already met," Aria stated with a knowing smile. Ezra laughed and nodded his head. "Well, I need to properly introduce you. Ezra I'd like you to meet Lily Mia Montgomery."

"That's a beautiful name," Ezra commented, reached forward to touch the child's hand. She instantly latched onto his finger as she had done in the nursery. "Is there any special significance to the name?"

Aria smiled shyly up at him. "I thought Mia was a close resemblance to both Mike and Mona's names, it starts with an M anyway. And Lily… I hope you don't mind my snooping, but I kind of- found out that your grandfather's name was Liles. I know you two were close and I… I dunno, it's silly I guess but-"

"It's perfect," Ezra said, cutting her off. He choked back his own tears at her words and again sat down softly on the bed. Hugging the two of them close to his side, he pressed a kiss to each of their heads and wiped away a stray tear.

"Welcome to the world, Miss Lily."

**Aria's reaction may or may not be realistic; I've never gone through that kind of tragedy. Let me know your thoughts on how this chapter went. We're winding down with this story, I only have a few more chapter laid out. As always, please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY TWO**

_**EZRA**_

Fishing his keys from the car's ignition, Ezra paused a moment to contemplate his run through the torrential downpour occurring outside his little reprieve. Deciding that it was best just to make a run for it rather than to wait and see if it slowed, he grabbed his briefcase from the seat beside him and turned to wrestle a box of diapers from the backseat.

"Shit," he cursed the moment he opened the door. He was instantly hit with a full, cold blast of late spring rain. Ezra hugged his things tighter to his body and sprinted towards Aria's front door, effectively drenching himself in the process.

He fumbled around for the right key for a moment before finally shoving it into the lock and pushing into the home. Though he still paid rent for his place next door, Ezra spent almost every free moment with Aria and the children at her place. He had unknowingly moved a lot of his things in already. Most of his clothes hung in her closet, his spare shoes rested by the front door. Hell, even his game console had made its way over, making Noah extremely happy. It was almost as if they were one big happy family, just… not officially.

"Noah, please pick up your Legos," he heard Aria beg when he entered the home moments later. "I don't want to have to ask you again."

"Hey, there," Ezra greeted after shedding his wet coat and bag by the front door. He made his way into the living room. "I've brought diapers."

Aria glanced up from where she was attempting to wrestle Lily into a clean outfit and shot him a small smile. Her entire demeanor appeared tired, almost defeated. Ezra could only guess that her exhaustion probably stemmed from the two small children sitting at her feet.

"Look, Lily, Daddy's home from work. That makes us happy, doesn't it?" she cooed to the small child. Lily gurgled happily up at Aria but didn't attempt to greet Ezra in any form. He smiled at the thought that one day she'd be able to welcome him home properly.

"Dat's not Daddy!" Noah abruptly shouted from the floor, surrounded by the toys Aria had asked him to clean up. He angrily pushed to his feet. "Dat's Eza, Mommy!"

Noah took off for his room, leaving Ezra in shock after his outburst. He turned a questioning gaze towards Aria and watched as she slumped her shoulders in defeat and ran a hand tiredly through her hair.

"He's been like this all day," She explained with a sigh. "Actually, he's been acting up for a while now, but his attitude has been really bad today. I'm not sure what's going on."

Ezra walked over and pressed an understanding kiss to Aria's head. He placed the box of diapers on the coffee table in front of them and dropped to the couch, instantly reaching for the infant in Aria's arms.

"Hi there, Lily Pad," He greeted the child with a smile, holding her above his head so she could smile down at him. "You haven't been acting up for Mommy have you? No, I bet you haven't. You want to leave all the trouble making to your brother."

Lily giggled down at him and reached for Ezra's tie when he brought her back down to his chest. At five months old, she was getting into everything. She grabbed at anything in reach and was attempting to sit and crawl on her own. She was a very advanced baby, at least in Ezra's opinion.

Aria relaxed back into the cushions behind her and brought her feet up to tuck them underneath her body. Reaching out to fix a button on Lily's jumper, she smiled over at Ezra.

"She's not old enough to cause too much trouble, Ezra. Give her time, though. I'm sure Noah will show her the ropes."

Ezra chuckled in response. He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Lily's head before turning and handing her back to Aria.

"Why don't you two relax for a bit while I go talk with Noah?" He offered, pushing off of the couch.

Aria looked up at him in surprise. "Are you sure? You don't have to-"

"I've got this," Ezra chuckled, again leaning down to press a chaste kiss to her cheek. "Be right back."

Ezra loosened his tie as he walked towards Noah's room and shoved his hands into his pockets. As stressful as it was living with an infant and preschooler, he was definitely the happiest he could remember being in a long time. He wasn't sure what exactly was going on with Noah but he was determined to find out. His father had never been too interested in Ezra's life, spending most of his time at work and ignoring his children for the most part when he was home. Ezra vowed to never be like that. He wanted to make sure that Noah knew he loved him and that he was there for him, whether or not he officially was his father.

Ezra stopped and took a breath before reaching out and tentatively knocking at Noah's door. He didn't give the child time to respond before pushing the door open slightly and sticking his head in.

"Go 'way, Eza," Noah told him, not looking up from his dinosaurs as he played on the ground.

Ezra chuckled slightly before closing the door and making his way over to Noah's bed. He sat down and reached down to lightly brush Noah's hair away from his face. It was getting so long that Ezra thought he'd probably need it cut soon. Noah scooted away from him and Ezra sighed in defeat. He wasn't going to make this talk easy.

"Noah, you know it's not nice to speak to me or your Mommy this way," Ezra started. "Want to tell me what's bothering you?"

Noah shook his head at the question. He didn't move from his spot at Ezra's feet, only fiddled more with the toys surrounding him. Ezra sighed, unsure how to go about getting the boy to talk. He suddenly had an idea.

Dropping to the floor next to Noah, Ezra reached for another dinosaur and started to play with him. Noah sat quietly beside him, playing with his own toy, and Ezra just let the quiet moment between them stretch out.

"These are your favorite toys, aren't they?" Ezra asked after a couple of minutes. Noah just shrugged. "Want to know what my favorite toy was when I was little?"

Noah didn't answer him so he continued.

"G.I. Joes. I used to make up all of these amazing stories, all of these adventures that the army men could go on. It was always more fun, though, when I had someone to play with. My Daddy, he wasn't home a lot so I used to play with my little brother most of the time. I'll play with you whenever I can and when Lily's old enough, I'm sure she'll love to play with you too."

"I don't want ta pay wit you or her," Noah responded harshly. He slammed the toy onto the ground and hugged his knees to his chest. "You can pay wit her, Eza. Youz _her_ Daddy."

Ezra suddenly understood what was going on so he placed the toy back down and turned to fully address Noah.

"I know that this situation must be hard for you, Noah. You have a new sister now and a family that's bigger than just you and your Mommy. You've been my best bud, though, since the day we met. That hasn't changed."

"But youz iz Wily's daddy now, not mine," Noah said softly. Tears started to track down his face and Ezra didn't hesitate to pull the child into his lap. "Iz not fair, Eza. I don't got a Daddy."

Ezra rocked the child, much the same as he had with the infant a few rooms over. Pressing a soft kiss into Noah's hair, he attempted to calm him down. He hypothesized that Noah wasn't really upset that Ezra was stepping in as Lily's father, he was more upset that he wasn't doing the same for him. What the little boy didn't understand, though, was that Ezra had already done that. He just didn't have the title.

"You know… I could be your Daddy too, if you wanted," Ezra offered with a smile. Combing his hand through the child's hair, he continued, "I will still be your best bud. And I love you so much already… would that make this transition easier?"

Noah was quiet for a moment and Ezra started to wonder if he'd been right in his assumptions. After a minute or two, however, Noah gently nodded his head and wiped away his tears.

"Otay," he answered. "Come on, Daddy. I wanna pay dinosars."

Ezra laughed when he pulled away and went back to playing with his toys, as if a huge, life-changing decision hadn't just been made. In a way, he guessed it hadn't. He'd been filling in as the father figure in Noah's life for months. Now he could finally accept the title. Shaking his head in amusement, Ezra picked up his dinosaur figure and went back to playing with his son.

**Everything's starting to finally come together for the little family. Lily's home, Aria's doing ok, and Noah is finally accepting Ezra as a father. What did you think? Sorry for the short chapter but I didn't feel like dragging it on. As always, I appreciate all of my readers and look forward to your reviews!**


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER TWENTY THREE**

_**EZRA**_

_Bbbrrrriiiinnnggg! Bbbrrriinnnggg! Bbbrrriinnggg!_

"Shut it off, please," Aria groaned from somewhere to Ezra's left.

Letting out his own groan of displeasure, Ezra reached behind him and slapped his hand down onto the alarm clock on his nightstand. He turned back towards Aria and snuggled back behind her, wrapping his arms around her midsection and sighing in pleasure at the silence now enveloping the room. He could afford ten more minutes of sleep so he pressed his face into the warmth radiating from the back of Aria's neck.

The baby monitor on Aria's nightstand suddenly started to scream with life and Ezra rolled back over, letting out a sigh of defeat. It seemed he wouldn't be getting any more sleep.

"I'll get her," Ezra told the pile of blankets Aria was huddled under, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to erase the tiredness that begged for a few more minutes of sleep. He heard Aria let out another groan before she slowly pushed the covers away and sat up.

"No, I'll go check on her. You need to get ready for work," Aria replied, running a hand through her disheveled bed hair. Ezra smiled at the sight. He couldn't help but think that she looked extremely cute first thing in the morning.

Sitting up himself, Ezra leaned over and pushed a soft kiss to Aria's temple before standing and making his way to the bathroom. She smiled back at him and then made her way from the room to check on the baby.

He squinted at the onslaught of bright light to his eyes when he entered the restroom and flipped on the light switch. Ezra caught sight of himself in the mirror and the first thing he noticed was the dark stubble shadowing his face below the cheekbones. He'd have to take care of that ASAP.

He had just smeared shaving cream onto his cheeks when Noah came barreling through the door. He stopped short when he saw Ezra standing there.

"Youz look silly, Daddy," Noah giggled. Since Ezra had talked with him about being his father he had latched onto the Daddy title and hadn't stopped using it. Ezra couldn't lie, though, he loved it.

"I do, do I?" Ezra chided back. He stooped down and picked Noah up, sitting him down on the countertop in front of him. Taking the shaving cream in his hand, he smeared a bit on the boy's face, chuckling at Noah's unending giggles. "Now we match," he told him with a smile.

"No, I look betta!" Noah responded. Ezra laughed at his retort and turned toward the mirror once again to run the razor over his face, erasing all trails of shaving cream until there was nothing left.

He reached for a towel, ready to wipe Noah's face clean, when the boy backed away and adamantly shook his head in protest. "No, youz got to uze da raza!"

Ezra again let out a laugh but followed his orders and rinsed the razor off before running it gently across the child's face. He made sure to invert the blade so that there was no chance of cutting him and proceeded to remove all of the shaving cream. Once he was finished, he turned and dabbed some after shave on his hands, first patting his own cheeks before touching a bit to Noah's face. He giggled in delight and lifted his hands towards Ezra to be let down. The second his feet touched the ground, he took off, leaving Ezra to finish getting ready. Ezra shook his head and let out a chuckle before quickly washing up and making his own way from the room.

Threading his belt through the loops on his dress slacks, he had his head down as he walked from the bedroom and as a result, walked right into Aria as she carried Lily from her room into the hallway. He instantly reached out to steady her.

"Sorry," Ezra apologized. He ran a hand softly over Lily's soft hair and smiled at the baby. "Good morning, Ms. Lily. Ready for some breakfast?"

Taking the child from Aria's arms, he led the way to the kitchen. Aria started rummaging through the cabinets, looking for the soft foods they were starting the infant on, and Ezra had to dance around her, placing Lily into her high chair and turning to start the coffee pot. Aria sighed in frustration after she jostled into him for the umpteenth time.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered under her breath. Ezra scrunched his brows in confusion, he knew he was in her way right now but he thought he was helping?

"Are you ok?" he asked, handing her a cup of coffee as a peace offering.

Aria again sighed and slumped back against the counter. "I'm fine. It's just… this place is too small for all of us. It was fine when it was just me and Noah. But our family has now doubled and… it's too small. And Lily's crying all the time, Noah's got one school project after another. I'm just stressed, I guess."

Ezra turned and set his mug on the counter before pulling her into his arms and pressing a slew of kisses into her hair. "Hey, come on. We can start looking for a bigger place if you'd like? That would be a good place to start."

Aria looked up at him in surprise. "We?"

"You don't think I'd let you move out without me, do you?" Ezra chuckled. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth, pausing a moment to relish in the feel of her lips against his. Pulling away, he cupped her face with one hand and smiled down at her. "And about the stress part… I've actually been thinking about this for a couple of days now. How would you feel about a getaway? Just you and me? We could get Spencer or Hanna to watch the kids."

"I don't know…" Aria responded uncertainly.

"Think about it? I have a friend who owns a cabin not far from Rosewood. We could go there for a weekend, not too long. Just enough time to recharge."

Ezra watched as Aria debated it. She'd yet to spend a night away from her daughter; Ezra was hoping she'd finally take this opportunity. He glanced towards the clock above the stove and quickly downed the rest of his coffee before grabbing his briefcase. He had less than thirty minutes now to make it to work. Leaning down for another kiss, Ezra smiled at Aria and ran his hand through her hair.

"Think about it," he told her softly. Pulling away, he started towards the front door. "I'll see you later. Bye Noah!" he called down the hallway.

"Bye, Daddy! I wuv you!" Noah called back. Ezra couldn't wipe the silly stupid grin that covered his face at the reply. He'd never get tired of hearing that.

* * *

By the time lunch rolled around, Ezra was exhausted. He had his students lined up to give oral presentations and as a result, he'd had to sit through one talk after another on the significance of symbolism found in William Shakespeare's Macbeth. He was exhausted.

"Mr. Fitz?"

Glancing up from the notes he was jotting down on one student's evaluation form, he saw one of the star baseball players standing on the other side of his desk.

"Mr. Jackson. How can I help you?" Ezra asked kindly.

The student shuffled awkwardly for a moment or two before speaking. "I'm kind of… struggling with Shakespeare. I know I should have spoken up before the exam and before our oral presentations but-"

"Speaking up at all is what matters, Pete," Ezra said, cutting him off. Standing from his seat, he rounded the desk to stand next to the student and sat down on its edge. "I have noticed that your grades have been slipping this term. That's why I asked you to come see me… a few weeks ago."

Pete looked down at his shoes, avoiding eye contact. "Yeah…"

"You play football too don't you?" Ezra asked, somewhat out of the blue. Pete looked up at the comment and nodded, confusion etched across his face. "The baseball season is almost over, Pete. Football is right around the corner. In order to be eligible to play… you're going to need to improve your English grade. If you fail, you're going to have to make up the credits in summer school. That would mean missing football practices and games."

"What can I do?" Pete asked quietly. Ezra sighed. This was the part of his job that he absolutely hated the most. He hated when a student was failing, it made him feel like a failure as a teacher.

"I'm running an after school study group," Ezra offered. He reached across the desk to grab a sticky pad and jotted down a time and room number before handing it to the student. "We just started covering the section we're discussing now in class. You should come. If that doesn't help, we'll go over other options. I'm not going to let you fall behind, Pete. You're a bright guy."

Pete let out a sigh of relief and flashed Ezra a thankful smile. "Thank you so much, Mr. Fitz. Really." He turned and headed for the door.

"Play well tonight against St Bernard's," Ezra called out, waving at him as he disappeared out of sight. He smiled to himself and pushed off the desk, eager to eat his lunch with the little time he now had. Many of his students liked him, he got that feeling at least. He just had to make sure that they learned from him as well. He would do anything he could to help them, no student was going to be left behind if he could help it.

Just as he opened his lunch bag, Ezra felt his phone vibrate in his trousers. He smiled when he pulled it from his pocket and saw Aria's name on the screen. She'd only sent one sentence.

_'Ok, let's go.'_

**Ezra and Aria are due for some alone time. How do you think they'll fare by themselves? Please R&R!**


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR**

_**ARIA**_

"Been around the world, don't speak the language but your booty don't need explaining! All I really need to understand is- When. You… talk dirty to me!"

Aria giggled as she watched Ezra happily sing along to the song blaring from the radio as he drove. He was so carefree, so _young_ in that moment, that she herself felt relaxed and happy. His joy was contagious. Ezra turned to flash her a smile as the song ended and he reached over to lower the volume.

"Something funny?" he asked with a smirk.

Aria rolled her eyes with a smile and turned to look out the window at the blur of trees that passed on either side of them. She wasn't sure exactly where they were going, she only knew that Ezra promised it wouldn't be too far from home. He had assured her that they'd be close enough to Rosewood that if anything were to happen, they could come right back.

"I didn't pack much, Ezra," Aria spoke up with worry as she took in the forestry around them. "Only a change of clothes and a light jacket. You don't think I under-packed, do you?"

Ezra reached over the console to grab her hand and gave it a light squeeze. "You'll be fine, Ar. If you need any more clothes, you can borrow some of mine."

Aria sighed but nodded her head. She couldn't help but to worry about silly things like sweaters and jackets, she was a mother after all. Ezra shot her another smile and picked up her hand to press a soft kiss to her knuckles. Aria turned her gaze from the passing undergrowth to Ezra. She stared at him, taking in his unruly black curls and his five o'clock stubble. Everything about him sent her heart into overdrive, even after all of these months together.

"We're almost there," he answered her unasked question. Aria smiled back in response and turned back to look out the windows. Within minutes, Ezra was pulling up a dirt drive. He stopped the car in front of a cabin so hidden in between the trees that one would have never noticed its existence unless they knew it was there. Aria sucked in her breath at the sight. It was beautiful and… perfect. Ezra again pressed a kiss to her knuckles before finally letting her hand go and climbing from the vehicle. She paused a moment before following.

"My friend's owned this place for a few years now," Ezra explained as he started unloading the trunk. He passed the light bags to Aria before scooping the rest of their things up into his arms and heading towards the cabin. "His uncle left it to him in his will. We used to come up here during grad school to party, relax, and basically do anything other than study."

Aria laughed as she followed him into the cabin. Looking around, she took in the homey décor. There were handmade blankets covering the couch, personally painted pictures framed on the walls. The atmosphere was very warm and inviting. She could imagine taking Noah and Lily up here one day. She was positive they'd absolutely love it.

"This place is beautiful," Aria commented quietly, placing her bags down on the sofa. She ran her hand lightly over the antique collectables lining the mantle over the fireplace in the living room as she walked around the large, open concept living area.

"There are two bedrooms, one bath, a fire pit out back… yeah, this place is pretty much perfect," Ezra grinned. He walked over to where she'd stop to stare out the window into the forest. Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he pressed a trail of kisses down her neck to her shoulder, moving her hair out of the way as he did.

"Mmmmmm," Aria groaned, leaning her head to one side to afford him better access. Her breath suddenly hitched in her throat and her heart started to race at the contact. Though they'd been together for about six or seven months, they yet to take _that _step yet. She'd been pregnant when they'd met and then, after giving birth, she hadn't felt… ready. Aria couldn't help but to feel nervous about taking that next step.

"Ezra," she moaned as he gently pushed her shirt collar towards her shoulder, giving him a better view of her silky smooth skin. "Ezra… stop," she pleaded quietly.

Ezra pulled back instantly, a blush filling his cheeks. He ran a hand through his hair and took a few steps back. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I just… got caught up in the moment, I guess."

Aria turned towards him and flashed him a smile before rising on her tiptoes and framing his face. She pressed a long, slow kiss to his lips before pulling away.

"It's ok," she whispered. "Let's just… take it slow. Ok?"

Ezra smiled back and nodded. He leaned down and pressed another quick kiss to her mouth before pulling away and heading into the kitchen to unload their groceries. Aria, watching him walk away, slumped back against the wall behind her. She willed her heart to slow down and nervously wiped the sweat covering her hands onto the fabric of her jeans. This was going to be one _long_ weekend.

_**EZRA**_

The crackling of the fire and the smell of burning wood filled his senses as they sat at a fire he'd constructed outside later that night. He stared, unseeing, into the bright flames licking against the timber filling the fire pit. Ezra leaned back further against the rail ties lining the sitting area and wrapped his arms tighter around Aria. She sat between his legs, munching on a crisp marshmallow fresh from the fire.

"Do you think they're ok?" Aria asked as she looked up at him, breaking him from his trance. Referencing the children they'd left behind with her friends, Ezra could see the worry lining the creases on her forehead. He lifted his hand to smooth them away before responding.

"They're _fine_, Sweetheart."

Aria raised one eyebrow and shot him a smirk. "Sweetheart?"

Ezra chuckled, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "What? We can't use pet names?"

"Sure we can," Aria answered sarcastically. She giggled as she turned back towards the fire. "I'll call you… Z-man. Hardy uses that one, doesn't he?"

Ezra let out a short laugh in response. "Fine. We won't use nicknames. You're mean, you know that?"

Aria shrugged but sent a smile back towards him. She was silent for a moment and Ezra could feel that she was gathering the courage to tell him something so he waited. Finally, she released a small sigh and stuck her cooking stick into the fire, playing with the wood before talking.

"I'm… I'm nervous," she admitted quietly.

"Nervous? About what?" Ezra asked with confusion.

"About us," Aria confessed. She flipped a piece of timber over in the flames, causing a spray of sparks to shoot up into the ebony dark night. "I haven't… you know… done anything intimate, with anybody, for a while. I'm nervous I won't satisfy you. I just had a baby and my body… it's not perfect," she finished with a whisper.

Ezra stilled. He was honestly shocked by her revelation because he knew that there was absolutely no way possible that she wouldn't be enough for him. Turning her face towards him, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth, hovering for a minute to let the moment sink in. When he pulled away, he brushed some hair from her face and stared lovingly down at her before responding.

"You are the most spectacularly beautiful woman I have ever met, Aria Montgomery," he started. "I am completely, hopelessly, _irrevocably_ in love with you. Don't you see that?"

Aria was silent for a moment before nodding uncertainly. Ezra pressed another kiss to her mouth to erase her fears.

"I love you," he repeated. "You are everything I have ever wanted and there is no possible way that you won't satisfy me. Everything about you is perfect, so don't ever say that again. You gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and you have become even more beautiful, if that's possible, in the process. So… don't think you're not perfect or enough for me- because you are."

"I love you too," Aria whispered. She smiled up at him through the tears that suddenly filled her eyes. Reaching up to cup his face, she crashed her lips onto his. When they finally pulled apart, Aria took a deep breath, leaning her forehead against his. They stayed like that for a while until she finally pulled away and stuck another marshmallow into the fire. Ezra watched through the bliss of his never-ending happiness as the food slowly caught fire and Aria pulled it out to blow out the flames. How she liked them charcoaled black was beyond him.

Turning towards him, Aria offered a bite from the treat but Ezra had other ideas. Leaning down, he bypassed the sugary concoction and pressed his lips to the underside of her jaw. Trailing them towards her mouth, he licked up any leftover sugar from her skin before finally pressing his lips to hers. Aria moaned against his mouth and dropped her treat to the ground before turning and cupping his face in her hands, deepening the embrace. It was Ezra's turn to groan as he started to get excited that this moment was happening. She straddled his hips and carefully pressed her weight down on him, causing every sense in his body to heighten with awareness. Everything around them disappeared and he could only focus on the woman in front of him.

"Aria," Ezra whispered hoarsely against her lips. "We've got to stop- I mean if you don't plan on taking this further… we've got to stop."

Aria pulled back slightly to smile down at him. She wound her hands into the hairs at the nape of his neck and leaned forward to press every possible inch of her body against his. The heat radiating off of her body ignited a fire deep within him. Ezra couldn't remember ever wanting a woman as bad as he wanted her.

Aria leaned forward and slowly pressed her lips once again against his, lingering there for what seemed like forever before pulling away. He looked up at her through a daze of lust and fought to catch his breath.

"Who said anything about stopping?" She whispered, smiling shyly down at him. "I said I was nervous, Ezra. Not that I wasn't ready."

She then pushed off of him, wiped her hands against her jeans and started towards the cabin. Ezra sat in a trance as he watched her go. Not hearing him follow, she turned and looked and him quizzically, raising one eyebrow in question.

"You coming?"

**Aria and Ezra are finally taking that last intimate step in their relationship. Sorry it took so long to finally get here. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and before anyone asks, no I won't go any further with details of their rated M activities lol. I haven't in any of my other stories and won't start now, I'll leave that up to your imagination. As always, please review! I only have one more chapter planned out with an epilogue so thanks for sticking around for this long!**


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE**

_**ARIA**_

The sunlight streaming through the bedroom window roused Aria from the deep slumber she had finally succumbed to at some point that night. Prying her eyes open, she peered tiredly towards the alarm clock resting on the night stand beside the bed and was surprised to see that she had slept until almost 9 am. Having an infant and five year old often prevented her from sleeping past 7 am, she almost always was able to see the sun rise each morning. Sighing in pleasure, she again closed her eyes and pressed further back into the warm, naked body spooning behind her. She could get used to this.

Her slight movements seemed to pull Ezra from his own sleep. Stirring a bit, he let out his own sigh and pressed his face into the nape of her neck. He pressed a few lazy kisses there before running his hand gently up and down the side of her body, attempting to gage how awake she really was. Aria decided to ease his troubles and moved to flip over onto her back. Turning her stare towards him, she smiled sleepily and reached out to smooth some awry hair away from his eyes.

"Morning," she greeted quietly.

"Hey, you," Ezra responded, mirroring her smile. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, hungry again for the connection they'd shared for most of the previous night.

Pushing against him and separating their mouths, Aria moved away with a laugh. "Your morning breath is not very pleasant. No more kissing until you've brushed your teeth."

Ezra instantly pulled her tight up against him again, pressing a series of kisses all over her face with a laugh. "It's that bad, huh?"

Aria giggled and writhed to get away from him but to no avail, he wasn't letting go any time soon.

"How's it now?" He asked, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth. Aria shook her head jovially but didn't make to push him away again.

"Now?" Ezra pressed another kiss to the opposite corner of her mouth before trailing a slow, torturous kiss from the edge of her jaw to the underside of her chin. Aria's breath caught in her throat and she was unable to answer so he took that as a green flag and hungrily pressed his mouth once again against hers. His kisses were long and torturous, causing Aria to writhe in pleasure filled agony. She wanted to be with him, like this, forever.

Ezra, seemingly knowing what she was thinking, moved atop her and trailed his mouth down her jaw to her collar bone, sucking gently at the skin he found there. Aria moaned in pleasure and wound her hands into his hair. Just as Aria was about to pull his face back up to hers, the ringing of a cell phone from her nightstand ripped her from their moment.

"Ignore it," Ezra mumbled against her skin, refusing to lift his head. Aria, however, couldn't do that. She knew he wouldn't want her to, anyway, especially if it was who she thought it was.

"Hello?" Aria answered breathily, not checking the caller ID before picking up the call.

"Momma when are youz comin' home?" Noah asked loudly from the other end. Aria had to pull the phone slightly away from her ear at the volume of his voice, he'd yet to understand that you didn't need to yell to be heard across a telephone. Ezra, hearing the boy's voice, instantly pulled his head up and collapsed again at Aria's side. He released a sigh of frustration and ran a hand tiredly through his hair. Aria couldn't help but to giggle. It seemed like even when they were miles away, their children had a way of interrupting them.

"Hi, Baby," Aria greeted. "Ezra and I are coming home tomorrow. I told you that, remember?"

"But I need you home now!" Noah replied. Aria could hear the tears in his voice and it pulled at her heart strings. Spencer started calling for him from somewhere in the background and before Aria had a chance to answer him, the phone was being passed away.

"Hey, I'm sorry about that," Spencer told her apologetically. "He got a hold of my cell and couldn't wait another second to talk with you."

"It's alright," Aria answered. "How is everything back there? Are the kids doing alright? Ezra and I could come back early if you need us to…"

That statement had Ezra sharply turning his head towards her and shooting her a look that said he clearly disagreed with her remark. A mischievous smile then overtook his face and he ducked beneath the blankets, out of sight. His intentions became all too clear, however, when Aria felt his lips return to her collar bone and slowly start to make their way south. Aria's breath started to thicken and her heart picked up its pace.

"It sounds like Ezra has other plans," Spencer laughed from the other end of the phone. "I'm going to hang up before I hear something that'll scar me for life. Say bye to Mommy, Noah!"

"Bye Momma and Daddy, I wuv you!" Noah called from somewhere in the distance.

Ezra popped his head out of the blanket and took the phone from Aria's hand upon hearing his son's voice once again.

"Bye, Buddy. We love you too and we'll see you in a few days," Ezra said, smiling largely into the phone. He didn't give Spencer a chance to continue the conversation before hanging up the phone and tossing it towards a chair on the other side of the room.

Turning back towards Aria, he smiled and framed her face in his hands, leaning down to languidly press his lips to hers. He pulled back after a few seconds, only allowing their lips to separate by a hair. Aria felt like she couldn't breathe due to the level of sexual tension filling the room at that moment.

Ezra sucked in a large amount of air himself as he ran the back of his hand down Aria's cheek. "Now… where were we?"

_**EZRA**_

The weekend, in his opinion, had gone by far too quickly. Before they knew it, it was Sunday afternoon and he and Aria were packing up the car, ready to head back home. He couldn't say he was too terribly sad about it, though. He missed Noah and Lily and he knew that Aria did too.

"Do you think we should leave your friend a thank you note or something?" Aria asked as she walked out to where he was putting the last of their things into the trunk of his car. She passed him his jacket he'd left inside and he shoved it on top of their bags before pressing the door down.

"Nah, I'll call him tomorrow," Ezra answered. He reached out and pulled Aria tight up against him before pressing his lips soundly to hers. When he pulled away moments later, she looked at him questioningly.

"What was that for?"

Ezra smiled and just shrugged before turning and opening the passenger side door for her. "I just wanted one last kiss to remember the weekend by."

Aria giggled and rolled her eyes but didn't comment. She climbed into the vehicle and Ezra quickly followed, eager for once to start their drive back.

The urge to return to normality seemed to heighten the moment that the car pulled off of the dirt drive and the tires hit the pavement of the highway leading back home. He had loved the time away with Aria. Hell, he'd been craving it since the moment he first met her. He couldn't wait, however, to see Noah's bright and smiling face or to hear Lily's innocent baby laughter when they got back home.

His thoughts about what awaited them miles away seemed to erase the time that it took to reach Rosewood's outer limits. Before he knew it, they were passing well known businesses and homes. Ezra turned towards the radio to lower the volume and eased up on the gas, slowing the pace of their car to match the lowered city speed limit. He glanced nervously towards Aria before speaking.

"How- how would you feel about making a quick stop before we get home?" Ezra asked tentatively.

"A stop? Where?" Aria responded with confusion.

He licked his lips and again glanced away from the road for a split second to judge her facial features before continuing.

"I've been doing a lot of research over the past couple of days," Ezra started. "And I think I may have come up with a solution to our housing problem."

Aria scrunched her brows but didn't interrupt him so he continued.

"A house," he clarified. "Now you don't have to like it. We can look at others. But… I think it's perfect. I've talked with the realtor and we could move in this summer."

"Ok…" Aria answered hesitantly. He knew this was a big step, so Ezra didn't want to force her into agreeing to anything. "Let's see it."

He snapped his head towards her to see if he'd heard correctly. "Are you sure?"

Aria smiled broadly and reached for his hand. "I'm sure. Let's go."

From where they were to the location of the house was only a short drive. Aria's phone, not long after she'd agreed to take a look at the place, started beeping with text messages, most likely from Noah or Spencer. She was so deeply engrossed in the phone that she didn't even look up until Ezra pushed the car into park in the driveway and cut the ignition. He watched her nervously and wasn't surprised when she finally looked up and sucked in her breath upon recognizing where they were.

"Ezra…" she whispered.

He swallowed once and reached over again to take her hand. "Like I said, you don't have to say yes. We can find another house. I just thought… it might mean something special for Noah to grow up here."

Aria didn't answer, staring unwavering out towards the house she'd grown up in. He knew, from what she'd told him, that her parents had moved from Rosewood to Iceland soon after Mike had passed away. He'd looked up where they'd lived and found that they were subletting the place to a family so he'd taken a chance and called them up.

"How did you…"

"I talked with your parents, explained who I was of course, and told them about the situation," Ezra started. "They want to help any way they can, Aria. I know they haven't been there for you or for Noah since Mike… but they really do want to help. The family who lived here just moved out about a month ago, so it needs some work but-"

Aria didn't give him a chance to finish before she pushed open her door and headed towards the front door. Ezra quickly followed, digging the key he'd been given from the realtor from his pocket to let them in. Aria walked into the home, almost in a trance, and stared around wide eyed at all of the rooms she'd run and played in as a child. She stood still in the entry way long enough for Ezra to wonder if she'd ever start moving. Before he could interrupt her thoughts, however, she was turning for the stairs and climbing to the second floor. Ezra blindly followed along behind her.

Reaching the second floor landing, Aria turned left and entered the first bedroom. She ran her hands along the wallpaper and collected dust off of the window seal as she moved slowly around the space.

"This was my room," she whispered. "My bed, it used to be up against that wall. My dresser was over there and my desk was here."

Ezra watched as she placed the furniture where it had rested around the room in her mind. He could only imagine what the room looked like through her words but it appeared beautiful. After a few minutes, she took a deep breath and again headed into the hallway. Stopping short at the door directly opposite her old bedroom, she rested her hand nervously on the doorknob. He heard her take in another shaky breath before pushing the door open and walking into the room.

"This was Mike's room," Aria told him through a veil of unshed tears. She walked towards the closet and stopped short, reaching out to gently run her fingers over the notches carved into the wood framing the corner of the wall that jutted out there. "My dad did this. This was Mike's growth chart. I have one in my room too."

Ezra stood nervously behind her, unsure of how to gage her reaction. Was she upset that he brought her here? Was she happy? He didn't know. Just as he was about to speak up, Aria let out a quiet hiccup and turned towards him. He could now clearly see the tears running down her face and he didn't waste any time pulling her into his arms.

"I'm sorry, we shouldn't have come here. It was a silly idea," Ezra apologized, running a hand soothingly down her back. Aria shook her head vehemently in protest against his chest before sucking in a shaky breath and pulling away.

"It wasn't silly," she replied. She wiped away her tears as best as she could and looked up at him, reaching out to caress his jaw. "You are an amazing man, Ezra Fitz… a truly amazing man."

Ezra tentatively smiled down at her and reached out to wipe away one last tear as it trickled down her cheek.

"I love you, so, so much right now," Aria continued. She reached up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his mouth. She took one last deep breath when they broke apart before smiley largely back up at him and taking his hand. "I think this place is perfect. You are perfect. Let's call the realtor tomorrow and tell them yes. This is where we'll raise our family."

Ezra smiled back through the haze of happiness suddenly clouding his mind in that moment and crushed her against him to press his lips once again to hers. This was what he had waited for his entire life: someone to love him enough to overlook the skeletons in either of their closets. Someone that wanted to share his life and wasn't afraid to let him share theirs. Happiness isn't perfect and love isn't without pain, he now knew that. Ezra was finally happy and he couldn't wait to start living the rest of their lives… together.

**Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can't express my gratitude enough for the constant support I've received throughout this story. Seeing your reviews keeps me writing, it always has. I know I promised you guys an epilogue, and you will get one, but I wanted to express my deep gratitude for you all before I got to that. I think this chapter perfectly summarizes where I was headed with this story and I hope that everyone enjoyed reading it. Again, I'm writing an epilogue but please review on this final chapter! Thank you!**


	26. Chapter 26

**EPILOGUE**

_**EZRA**_

We count the passing moments in our lives by each fleeting second, minute, and hour. These small increments eventually turn into days, months and years. Before we know it, the better part of our lives are behind us and we're watching as our children raise their own family and our wife's hair slowly turns more and more grey each day. You can try as hard as you can to slow time down, to savor each passing moment… but this is an impossible feat.

Ezra found out early on that no matter the occasion, no matter the moment, he would miss them all. It wasn't enough to slow down and smell the roses, as some like to say. At least not for him. He lived for every minute or hour that he spent with the ones he loved. He defined himself by those surrounding himself and couldn't bear to miss anything.

Wiping his sweaty hands against the rough fabric of his jeans, Ezra leaned back against the side of the beaten up truck currently housed in their garage and watched as his son tirelessly worked to screw in one last bolt. He smiled proudly when Noah fist pumped in success and shot his head up to flash him his own bright smile. He cherished these moments especially. Watching his son learn and grow every day into a decent, respectable man was any parent's aspiration and he felt that he had definitely succeeded. Sadly, though, Ezra knew that these moments were going to be fewer and fewer. The older Noah got, the more he'd strive to get out on his own, to start his life.

"Are we going to take a look at the timing chain unit? That'd be my next guess as to why this truck is still having issues," Noah told him thoughtfully. He reached for a rag to wipe off his greasy hands and tossed it to Ezra so he could do the same.

Ezra chuckled as he caught the fabric. "Maybe tomorrow. If we spend any more time out here your mom is going to come looking for us herself and you know she won't be too happy about it. Come on," Ezra nodded towards the door and started walking, forcing Noah to sigh in displeasure and follow.

"I don't understand why I have to go to the graduation ceremony anyway," Noah grumbled as they walked. "I mean, I've already passed all of my classes and gotten accepted into college. We won't even get our actual diploma, it's being mailed out in a few weeks."

Ezra reached over to sling an arm around Noah's shoulders, pulling him lazily to his side as they walked. "Yes, but this is a moment you can't miss. We get to hear you give the valedictorian speech and take pictures of you walking across the stage. You wouldn't want to deprive your mother of those moments, would you?"

Noah shook his head and sighed reluctantly. Ezra knew he'd won so he gave him one last squeeze before releasing him and pushing open the side door leading into the kitchen.

"This, my dear student, is called a Mojito," Hardy was saying as they entered the room. He flourished a few mint leaves decoratively across the top of his freshly made drink and shot Ezra a smirk before lifting the drink to his mouth and taking a long, drawn out sip. Lily giggled from the barstool lining the counter in front of him and reached out her hand for a taste.

"Are you teaching my daughter how to mix drinks?" Ezra chided with a smile. He swiped in and took the drink from Hardy's hand before Lily had a chance to take a sip. He smirked down at her and downed what remained.

"Ddaaaddd!" Lily whined, pouting in such a way that only melted Ezra's heart. At thirteen, she was a spitting image of her mother. She was beautiful and smart… he was already fighting off the admirers.

"Liiiillllyyy," Ezra whined back. He let out a short laugh when she huffed and crossed her arms across her chest, slightly rumpling the pretty summer dress she'd donned for Noah's graduation. He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before making his way around the island to wash his hands in the sink.

"Remind me again why I have to go to this ceremony? You don't care if I go or not, right No-" Hardy cut his tantrum short when he looked around the small room and found no Noah. Scrunching his brows in confusion, he leaned back against the counter next to where Ezra was drying his hands. "Where'd he go?"

Ezra shrugged but let out a small sigh, crossing his own arms across his chest and watching as Lily typed away at her brand new cellphone. Who she could possibly need to talk to was beyond him.

"He's upset that we didn't finish working on his truck," Ezra told his best friend. "At least I think that's what this is about."

"What he's upset about," Aria butted in as she walked into the kitchen. "Is the fact that he has to officially say goodbye to the only friends he's known for thirteen years now. This is a big night. Come on, Ezra, as a teacher you should know that."

Ezra smiled and rolled his eyes at her smart answer. If his wife was one thing, it definitely wasn't shy to voice her thoughts. She walked over, pressing a necklace he'd gotten her on one of their anniversaries into his hand. Turning around, she gathered the hair off her neck.

"Will you help me, please?"

Ezra wrapped the jewelry around her neck, delicately clasping the hook on the back of her neck. Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss to the skin he found exposed there and heard as Hardy let out a scoff from beside him.

"You two make me sick," he muttered. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and pulled Lily from her stool, forcing her to join him in another room. Ezra smirked and rolled his eyes, if he really needed alone time with his wife, he'd have forced them out a long time ago. Turning around, Aria rose up onto her tip toes and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. Ezra felt the urge to pull her tighter to him, to deepen the embrace, but Aria had other ideas. Pulling away, she smiled up at him but frowned when she took in his dirty clothes.

"Ezra we have to leave in twenty minutes," Aria started. "Would you please go clean up? And while you're up there… could you talk with Noah? He's… not himself. I tried to talk when he came upstairs but he basically ignored me."

Ezra reached forward to caress her cheek and leaned down to press another soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. Even after over ten years of marriage, Aria had him wrapped around her pinky finger. He'd drop whatever he was doing to help her, and talking with their son… let's just say he wouldn't say no to that.

"Sure," he answered with a smile. Heading towards the stairs leading to the second floor, he tossed a glance back towards he wife with a smirk. "You owe me for this though. Teenage hormones… yeah, you're going to owe me."

Ezra listened to the fading sound of Aria's giggles as he made his way towards his son's bedroom. He took a moment to collect himself before knocking lightly at the door and pushing his way in. Noah sat, fixated on buttoning his dress shirt, upon his unmade bed. His hair was still wet from his shower and his shoes lay waiting on the floor. Glancing up, Noah looked at him for only a brief second before threading the last button on his shirt and reaching for the tie lying on the mattress next to him.

"This seems to be a thing of ours," Ezra started with a small smile. He pushed his hands into the pocket of his jeans and came to sit down on the bed beside Noah. "You getting upset and running to your room, forcing me to follow for a talk. I remember the first time you did that was right after Lily was born. You probably don't remember-"

"I remember," Noah cut him off. He sighed and finally looked up at him with his own small smile. "I don't need a talk, though. I'm fine."

Ezra reached over and fixed his collar, ignoring the last part of his statement. He paused a moment before rising from the bed and walking towards the door. Noah quickly looked back up in confusion, telling Ezra that he really didn't expect him to leave. He, however, needed to retrieve something. Wasting no time, Ezra made his way into his and Aria's room and dug around in the closet until he came up with an old, battered shoe box. It was covered in dust and smelling of stale air but Ezra hugged it close to his chest and walked back to Noah's room. Sitting down once again on the bed, he handed the box to the boy.

"I was going to wait until tonight to give this to you," Ezra explained. He scratched the back of his head nervously before starting again. "When we first met, you were less than four feet tall. You had this cute lisp that instantly melted my heart and… you asked me to help you with something."

At that, a smile slowly overtook Noah's face. He knew where this was going. Ezra reached forward to pry the lid off the box and picked up the first piece of paper he saw. Uncrumpling it, he immediately recognized Noah's preschooler scribbles and smiled in remembrance.

"You asked me to help you mail these letters to your father," Ezra said quietly. He began unfolding more papers, each one becoming more and more legible as Noah grew up. The last one, written when he was around eight or nine, only said one thing.

"I miss you," Noah whispered as he read the note. He wiped a stray tear from his cheek and moved his gaze out the window, staring absent mindedly out into the backyard. He was silent for a moment or two and Ezra wondered if he had done the right thing by giving him this now, maybe he'd just made him even sadder.

"I can't believe you kept all of these," Noah said hoarsely.

Ezra reached over to take the box from Noah's hands, placing it on his nightstand before pulling the boy tight to his side and pressing a few kisses into his hair. "Everything you have ever done is important to me. These letters, though, they epitomize our relationship. Without them… who knows if we'd be here right now? So of course I kept them."

Noah didn't answer but after a minute or two, he reached across to pull Ezra into a hug, burying his face into his shoulder like he used to do as a little boy.

"Everything's going to change," he whispered. Ezra could hear the tears in his voice and he ached for his son. He was confused, anxious, and unsure about the future. He remembered feeling the exact same way.

"It will," Ezra agreed. "But it only gets better. I won't lie… life's not always going to be easy. You're going to have to deal with a lot of good and bad things. But you're a strong man, Noah. These letters told me that. From day one, even as a child, you weren't content with just sitting by and letting life happen. You've always wanted to find your own way, to reach out and learn new things. You've never let go of your hope for better things. Don't start now, because life is waiting to begin."

They sat there, basking in the comfort of each other's arms, for another minute or two. The sound of Aria yelling for Lily to put down her phone and get her jacket could be heard from downstairs and Ezra couldn't help but to chuckle. Noah pulled away and roughly wiped the last of his tears away before standing and shoving his feet into his shoes. Glancing up at Ezra, he smiled the first true smile Ezra had seen in days.

"You're not going like that are you? Come on, we're going to be late."

_**NOAH**_

Sitting in his seat, surrounded by his classmates in their caps and gowns, Noah felt the sweat bead down the back of his neck. He nervously gripped the now crumpled piece of paper housing his valedictorian speech in one hand and looked towards the stands where his family sat. He was instantly able to pick them out in the front row and laughed quietly as he watched Hardy sneak a drink out of a flask he'd stored in his coat pocket. Some things never changed.

His dad, catching his gaze, smiled brightly at him and flashed him a thumbs up. With a sigh, Noah turned back towards the stage, catching the end of the super intendant's speech.

"Congratulations again, graduates," he concluded. Shuffling a few papers on the podium in front of him, he looked back up and smiled at the crowd. "Now it is my great pleasure to introduce this year's valedictorian, Noah Montgomery."

Noah stood at the call of his name and took a deep breath before making his way up to the stage. His heart felt like it was beating a hundred miles an hour and with each passing second, he felt his undershirt soak through more and more. He could do this, he just had to keep repeating that to himself. When he finally reached the podium, he shook the super's hand and turned nervously towards the crowd of his classmates and their families. He couldn't make out anyone in particular, with the bright lights shining down at him, and that helped. Taking another deep breath, he uncrumpled his speech and laid it out before him.

He could do this.

"Today is the day that we arrive at a crossroad," he started. He paused for another breath before continuing. "All of our lives, we've traveled down the same path. We've spent years in the same classrooms, surrounded by the same people and learning the same things. Now we're forced to go our own separate ways. But this shouldn't scare us… it should exhilarate us."

Glancing towards the student body, he could see, even though it wasn't the best of light, that they were all listening. That excited him so he kept reading.

"I've known most of you for my entire life. I've become best of friends with only a handful but I've been a friendly face for most of you. That wasn't always the case for me. I struggled- when I was younger- to put myself out there, to meet new people and make new friends. I sat, struggling, at a crossroad of my own. This changed, though, the day that I met my father."

Though he couldn't see Ezra, he was sure that his Dad was sitting in his seat with tears filling his eyes. He was always such an emotional man, it was one of the things that Noah loved best about him.

"We've heard that those that teach us the most or that act as a parent can't be our friends. They have to choose to be a parent, or a teacher, for us, to be a role model but that they can't be both our friend and our ally. But this isn't true. The most influential person in my life is also my best friend. Without him… I wouldn't be standing here today talking to all of you. We get to choose our friends and I couldn't have picked a better one. Remember that when you leave these halls."

Glancing at the second half of his speech he felt his voice catch in his throat.

"I- I used to think, when I was little, that a father was someone who helped create you. Someone with whom you shared the same DNA. I wrote letters to a man I had never met and hoped, against all hope, that he would come back into my life. What I didn't realize, though, was that the man I was asking to deliver these letters for me was already my father. He's been there for my first day of school and for the last. He's helped me study for exams and fill out college applications. He's… loved me before I even really knew what love was. We each have these people in our lives so please stand and give them a round of applause for getting us to where we are now."

The sound of students jumping to their feet and filling the auditorium with their claps deafened Noah as he took a short step back from the podium. He felt a large smile overtake his face and once again glanced out towards where his father sat. He could just barely make out Ezra, with Aria pressed to his side, in the stands. He was grinning like a fool and brushing away a slew of happy tears. This melted Noah's own heart. He waited for the student's to again take their seats before continuing.

"I wrote one last letter for my dad. Most of you won't understand the significance of this… but he will."

Noah reached a shaking hand into the pocket of his dress slacks and retrieved a letter he'd written days ago. Unfolding it, he took one last shaky breath before reading.

"Dad… I'm standing here, on my graduation day, wondering how this all happened. You've been there for almost my entire life, helping me to stand when I fell and guiding me when I was lost. I didn't know when we met how important you would become to me… but I honestly can't imagine becoming the man I am today without you. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for always being there for me. Mostly, thank you for being my father."

He folded the paper back up and stuck it back in his pocket, turning one last time to the speech on the podium.

"As it turns out, I'd been delivering the letters to my father by myself since the beginning. He's helped me at each of the difficult places in my life and I don't expect that'll stop now that we've graduated from high school," Noah read. He glanced up towards the student body to finish his speech. "So now we're at a crossroad. Where each of us ends up is our own choice. But remember, we're not alone."

**THE END**

**I apologize for how long it took for me to post this epilogue but I wrote, and rewrote, many portions over and over again. I wanted it to be perfect. I hope this story wrapped up well for my readers and I look forward to hearing your last comments. For those of you reviewing as guests, I highly encourage you to create a profile as I like to personally go through and send thank you messages to my reviewers at the end of my stories. If not, then take this as my heart felt thank you lol. Again, thank you all so much for following along!**


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